The Quest
by Meara
Summary: *UPDATED!* It's a fight for the future through the past. Demando has kidnapped Usagi. Mamoru & the Senshi are trapped between realities. Can they get home to save Usagi & the future?
1. Prologue

I don't like to make the egotistical assumption that people   
have read the first two books in this trilogy. This synopsis will   
bring new readers up to date and act as a refresher for others.   
  
**If you don't want a refresher course on Crystal Tokyo Trilogy 101,  
then please skip down the page right to the prologue!**  
  
  
  
  
  
Life had never been what you could call "normal" for Tsukino Usagi,   
her beloved and their friends. That said, for all the battles and   
all the pain, once the danger was past, life went on much as before.  
They graduated from High School (and Mamoru from college) and looked  
forward to better days. What they had learned from a trip to the   
future haunted them all, though. If what they had seen was correct,  
their world would end one day so that a paradise might rise.  
  
Their world did end, but in a way they never could have predicted.   
One unscrupulous man by the name of Kashu Hikaru uncovered the secret  
of Usagi's double life through a blood test she had taken to get into   
college. At first he wanted to do little more than gain notoriety,   
but instead became obsessed by the desire to possess Usagi's unearthly  
beauty and power for himself. Kashu Hikaru had been a pawn of dark   
forces that sought the ruin of the Moon Princess and her Prince. His  
lusts led him down a path that eventually killed him, but not before   
the world found out just who and what Tsukino Usagi was. One by one,  
most of the Senshi's private identities were ferreted out and made   
public.  
  
Much to the shock of everyone involved, the Senshi found out that   
they were not exactly "human" anymore – at least not Terran human,   
that is. Queen Serenity explained to her daughter (in a dream) that   
she had sent them along with everyone and everything she could into   
the future the night the Silver Millennium had fallen. They were who  
they had been a thousand years ago, right down to the last chromosome.  
If that knowledge was not enough to shock them, the old Queen told   
Usagi that she'd also sent as many as she could manage of the Moon   
Kingdom's people into the future as well. This, in the end, was how  
Usagi would know the reborn citizens of the Moon Kingdom. Each of   
them would have a small piece of the Silver Millennium sleeping   
inside them.  
  
The world has never been accepting of those who are different. The   
last heirs of the Silver Millennium endured fire, unwanted publicity   
and physical attacks. When a mob trapped Usagi and Mamoru in a   
church in which they had just exchanged wedding vows, the world   
watched as the two seemed to die to save the huge crowd from the   
deadly fury of a propane explosion.  
  
Usagi had learned through this time of trial to use the Ginzuishou in  
a new way. It was called "The Balance" and it increased the power   
she was capable of by a hundred-fold. The danger to her was also   
increased exponentially. That kind of power was euphoric, but deadly.  
All the Queens before Usagi who had gone into the Balance burned out,  
unable to resist the seductive call of the power that invariably   
consumed them. But the soul bond between the last Princess of the   
Moon Kingdom and her Prince was stronger than even the fatal bliss   
of the Balance.   
  
Usagi, Mamoru and the Senshi worked towards rebuilding a lost Kingdom  
and establishing peace with Earth. They couldn't know that other   
ancient forces had also noted the reemergence of the Silver Millennium  
and worked to once more bring it down. Past, present and future were   
on a collision course that would end in death and ruin. In a battle   
for the future, Usagi aided by the unselfish love of her Prince and   
her friends, managed to seal the creature who now called himself   
Death Phantom away and bind him to the dark world of Nemesis. That  
battle claimed the life of Sailor Saturn, who brought her glaive down  
on Death Phantom and Nemesis in an effort to stop the rouge planet   
from colliding with Earth. Her sacrifice shattered Nemesis but in a  
last, desperate attempt to claim the future for himself, Death   
Phantom used his ebbing power to send three asteroids hurtling   
towards Earth. Their impact set off an ecological disaster the likes  
of which neither Earth or the Moon had endured.   
  
Those three asteroids slammed into Earth, causing tidal waves,   
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on a scale never before seen by   
humanity. Millions died within hours. Millions more in the days   
that followed. The dirt, ash and water vapor propelled into the   
atmosphere combined to shroud the Earth in a blanket that cut off all  
sunlight. Every living creature would die in the frozen night that   
would take decades to pass. Unless a miracle occurred mankind was   
doomed.   
  
That miracle took the shape of the last Crown Prince of Earth and his  
beloved, the heir to the Moon Kingdom. The reasons behind the   
ancient taboo of contact between the two realms was revealed. The   
Ginzuishou could create and renew; the Golden Crystal shape and   
mold. By combining the two powers, Usagi and Mamoru could heal and   
renew a shattered world. It would take time however, to bring about  
this miracle. A healing spell of suspension was cast in Elysion by   
Helios. The power of it was increased by the Ginzuishou and directed   
by the Golden Crystal. Earth entered a state of suspended animation.  
Everything and everyone was covered by a thin layer of crystalline   
ice. Well, almost everyone.  
  
Two of the Outer Senshi, Uranus and Neptune were left untouched by   
the sleep that overtook the planet. Before they had time to do   
little more than wonder what was going on, a visitor arrived. A now  
teenaged Chibi-Usa announced that they were needed in the future. A   
portal to the Timegate held by Sailor Pluto opened and, unable to   
deny their destiny, they walked into it and onward to the future.  
  
  
  
  
  
*****************************  
  
  
"The Quest"   
  
By Meara  
  
Prologue   
  
*****************************  
  
They made their last stand in the formal gardens at the back of the  
estate. The lush beauty of the place was eerily at odds with the   
sounds of battle that were carried on the light breeze. The warriors  
at the front gates of the country house fought desperately, trying  
to give those in the garden a last chance for escape.   
  
The woman was only twenty-three and possessed of a delicate, almost  
ethereal beauty. Hair so blonde it was silver fell to her shoulders.  
It lifted like a silken veil in the light breeze. She watched her   
beloved as quietly as she could, not wanting to add to their troubles.  
He was so handsome, she thought while the wind ruffled his black hair.  
Her amethyst eyes were filled with tears and she gasped as a   
contraction took her once more, a hand going to her rounded abdomen.  
  
The handsome man opposite her looked up in alarm when she did so.   
"Are you all right?" he asked, sapphire blue eyes narrowing with   
concern. He was clearly torn, wanting nothing more than to take her  
in his arms and comfort her, but the urgency of his task prevented   
it. His hands went once again to the controls of the stolen proto-  
gate. "Hang on, I'm almost done. Once we get to Elysion you and the  
baby will be safe."  
  
"I'm all right," she lied. A thin sheen of perspiration on her face,   
she tried to smile convincingly. "This little one wants to fight, I   
think."  
  
The double doors leading back into the house burst open, people   
flooding into the garden. They trampled the flowers and plantings in   
their panic. One of the armed men stayed by the door, looking back   
into the darkened room before slamming it shut. He began to pull a   
table to better block the doorway.   
  
"The gates have been breached. They're coming," his gaze was firmly   
on the pregnant woman. "That baby is the last hope of a thousand   
years. We can't let them have the child or everything is lost!"  
  
The proto-gate erupted to life, but the portal flickered and wavered.  
It seemed to settle for a moment and the pastoral beauty of Earth's   
hidden shrine was visible. The sight of it silenced the nervous   
whispers among the frightened refugees.   
  
"Elysion," a single hushed and reverent voice spoke for them all.   
"It's really Elysion!"  
  
With a shudder, the portal almost collapsed, the view changing from  
that of Elysion, to a dark and barren world. A voice came from the   
gate itself, howling like the frigid wind that blew across the   
ravaged planet. It was everywhere at once and all could hear it very  
clearly.  
  
"Young rebels, if you want power come to Nemesis." There was the   
ghostly outline of a hand that reached out to them across the void of  
time and space. "To conquer all, first conquer the Black Poison   
Crystal."  
  
The sound of fighting cut through the silent shock that had enveloped   
the crowd. The whole house shook as those pursuing the small band  
blew through the front doors of the mansion. Although his heart was   
beating a mile a minute as he did so, the man at the controls of the   
proto-gate grabbed the pregnant woman and pushed her into the portal.  
"Whereever it is, we have to go. We can't let them have the baby!"  
  
"What are you waiting for?!" the man at the controls shouted to the   
people who looked nervously at the world on the other side of the   
portal. "Move!"  
  
Centuries of blind obedience to the Elders of their movement came   
into play, and like sheep the people did as they were bid. It all  
happened so fast that they never stopped to question why a device that  
should only be able to move two or three people at a time was suddenly  
capable of transporting them all. They ran, one on top of another,   
blindly seeking the promised safety of the world beyond the proto-gate.   
  
The man with the midnight hair waited until all the others had made it   
through before he grabbed the control box and moved towards the portal   
himself. Just as he reached the threshold, the glass doors to the   
house exploded open, sending the shattered remains of the table flying.  
He stopped, straddling the portal with a foot in each world and turned  
to look at those framed in the mangled doorway.   
  
Neo-King Endymion saw the frigid, desolate landscape on the other   
side of the portal. He'd seen it before, he somehow knew, but his   
memory refused to tell him when or where. Never the less, a chill   
ran through him at the sight.   
  
"No, stop!" Mamoru shouted, Jupiter and Mars on either side of him.  
"It doesn't have to end this way. Surrender now and no one else will  
be hurt. The rest of the Sons have accepted that they were wrong about  
the Moon Kingdom…"  
  
A bark of laughter erupted from the man in the portal. "Wrong? Of   
course we were wrong. We thought that Serenity was the source of the  
evil but it was you – all along it was you! Serenity is just another  
one of your victims, a pawn for you to use. And don't speak to me   
about those weak, traitorous fools who surrendered to you. You could  
have had it all Endymion, but you refused to let us guide you on the   
true path."   
  
Mamoru felt more than saw Mercury come up in back of him. He heard   
the soft melodic tapping that meant she was using her hand held   
computer. "Keep him talking," she whispered, making sure to stay   
behind Mamoru so that her activities couldn't be seen. "I'm trying   
to tap into the proto-gate's controls and get their coordinates."  
  
These fanatics had never passed up a chance to expound on their view  
of the way the world should be before, and Mamoru used that knowledge  
now. "Your idea of guidance would have resulted in nothing more than  
a dictatorship, with me as the puppet and you and your 'Elders'   
pulling my strings."  
  
"We were more right than we knew to keep ourselves pure and apart   
from the rest of mankind!" the man shouted. "Earth must be burned   
clean of the evil and corrupt people that now infest her. We will   
return this world to her rightful masters – to us and it will once   
again be a paradise."  
  
"And you're going to create this paradise by running away like   
cowards?" Mamoru taunted. He had to get the man to step back through  
the portal.   
  
"This exile is necessary. Our new Prince will need time to grow into  
his birthright," a smile came to the man's face and he finished   
stepping through the threshold and onto Nemesis. He took the control   
box and slammed it to the ground. The portal began to destabilize   
almost at once. "I'm not the fool you'd have me be. Without this   
control panel you can't follow us." The figure was swallowed up by  
the darkness. "Enjoy your victory today, Endymion. It won't last."  
  
The portal was gone and with it the last chance of finding the   
radicals who called themselves the Sons of the Golden Kingdom. The  
death and chaos of their short lived rebellion was over, at least for  
now. As the last of the portal dissolved into a mist that was   
carried away on the breeze, a voice lingered. It was faint and   
fading, but the hatred in it cut into Mamoru's heart like a dagger.  
  
"Watch your back, King of Earth. Our Prince will come for you one   
day, and when he does he will have all that you now possess!"  
  
  
***************************************  
  
"Evil forces wanting to take over this peaceful state appeared. We  
managed to suppress them, but many fled into space in fear of being  
cleaned up by the Ginzuishou." - Neo-King Endymion, episode 83,   
Sailor Moon "R" 


	2. Chapter One

Let's try this again….  
  
Welcome back to the new and revised version of "The Quest". This is  
the last book in a trilogy that started with "Fatal Exposure" and   
continued into "Full Circle". Although it would be nice if you've   
read those two stories, it isn't totally necessary. That Crystal   
Tokyo will be founded by the end of this book is a given. What I'm   
also doing is setting up my next series of stories that will deal   
with the Black Moon Clan. I've always wondered just how and why   
Demando became so totally obsessed with Neo-Queen Serenity and this  
should provide those details. The White Prince of Nemesis is a   
fascinating character as he was done in the anime. Demando is an   
odd mixture of both villain and hero, a man who has the capability   
to be noble and ignoble at the same time. What can I say? I'm a   
sucker for tortured, angsty men!  
  
Many and effusive thanks go out to Donnar-I for her insights, pithy  
remarks and willingness to show me where I left a few plot holes   
big enough to drive a truck through. Everyone needs a good beta-  
reader and I am grateful that she took the time out her incredibly   
busy life to be mine. Mile buiochas leat go brach (A thousand thanks  
to you forever)!  
  
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own "Sailor Moon" or any of the   
attendant characters to which valid copyright laws apply. I also   
don't own "Doctor Who" so please don't send stray Galifreans knocking  
on my door to extract compensation (and get that Tardis off my lawn,   
for pity's sake. You'll kill the grass!). The Sons of the Golden  
Kingdom and the S'Eyre are products of my warped and twisted little  
mind, so please ask permission if you'd like to borrow them for a   
story of your own.   
  
  
***************************************  
  
"The Quest"  
  
By Meara  
  
Chapter One   
  
"King Endymion was saying that from now on we will face the real   
test." Tuxedo Kamen, episode 83.  
  
***************************************  
  
Elysion was a sacred, secret place that existed outside the   
boundaries of the normal world. Although Earth's hidden shrine had  
always mimicked the pattern of night and day, the seasons had never  
changed in Elysion. It was always summer there, and the most perfect  
of summer days at that. Since the beginning of time it had never   
known a frost until the spell of crystal sleep was cast, and winter  
came to paradise. Elysion and those in it were locked in a frozen   
slumber that was the only hope of mankind.  
  
In a grove at the very center of the hidden shrine, Usagi and Mamoru  
stood together. Like everyone and everything else, they were encased  
inside a crystalline cocoon that suspended time. Their arms   
entwined about each other they used the powers of the Earth and the  
Moon in perfect harmony. The ultimate power of two-as-one came   
together to heal a world mortally wounded by the greatest cataclysm  
it had ever suffered.   
  
No winter, not even one engendered by magic, can last forever. There  
were signs that spring was finally ready to return to both Earth and   
Elysion. Pulses of silver and golden light would surround the   
slumbering bodies of the last Crown Prince of Earth and his beloved  
Princess with increasing frequency. That light was refracted by the  
crystal that enshrouded them, casting rainbows that danced around the  
frozen garden. It was a beacon of hope, a ray of light for a world   
that had endured winter for a thousand years.   
  
There were only two ways into this mystic realm. One was through a   
portal controlled by the Guardian Priest of Elysion, Helios. The   
other was by a device that was a curious blending of science and the  
arcane called, prosaically enough, a "Gate". This piece of   
technology was controlled by an alien race known as the S'Eyre and  
they zealously guarded the secret of making and holding a Gate.   
  
The power of the S'Eyre Imperium was such that very few people were  
willing to take the risk of ticking them off. However, in every   
generation there will always be those people who figure that they   
have found a foolproof way to beat the odds. Happily, most of the   
time these people tend to die by their own misadventures before they  
can do any lasting damage either to the gene pool or those around   
them.   
  
Most of the time – but not always.  
  
A weak glow started in one corner of Elysion. Slowly, the feeble  
flicker of light grew. A blazing hole in the fabric of reality   
grudgingly formed and the shimmering veil of light pulled back. Two  
men stepped through the hole, the stamp of their mutual heritage   
evident on their faces. They were followed by a half dozen round,   
floating machines.   
  
"Yes," Rory, a small, thin man hissed in triumph. He brushed his   
unruly chestnut hair out of his eyes. "I knew this would work,   
brother! My star is definitely on the rise!" He slipped the proto-  
gate control onto a hook on his belt.  
  
"You and your damned 'stars'," The second man, Dirk, was taller. He  
was lean with a face that had a perpetually nervous look about it.   
"How many years have I listened to you whine," he mimicked the smaller  
man, "'the stars control everything'. What a pile of crap!" A   
misstep on the slick crystalline surface under his feet nearly made   
him fall.   
  
Rory was nearly giddy with a joy that was a complete mystery to the   
taller man. "Elysion, at last. I told you I could get us into here   
without any trouble, Dirk." He walked carefully around, "This is   
just the way the stories tell of it. 'A paradise sheltered from the  
winds of time'."  
  
"I've got news for you. Your 'paradise' is a graveyard," Dirk   
mumbled, looking at how everything was covered by a layer of   
impossibly thin crystal. "We stole the proto-gate, then spent three  
years avoiding the agents of the High King while you learned to use   
the damnable thing. I spent every last coin I ever saved to buy   
mining drones. All of that time, effort and expense just to come to  
this tomb?! How are we supposed to mine the crystal? It's too damn  
thin! I'm ruined – ruined and it's all your fault! Mother told me  
that I should have stayed an accountant instead of becoming an   
adventurer, but did I listen to her?"  
  
Rory waved away his concerns. He closed his dark eyes for a moment.  
"The size of the crystals isn't as important as the kind of energy   
they hold and the mystic energy here is incredible! If we can   
harvest only a small fraction of it we'll be set for life."  
  
Dirk reached for the pack on his back and knelt down, rummaging   
through it. "Extract," he said to the hovering drones, one hand   
waving at the ground.   
  
"Extract, extract, extract," the beach ball sized robots whirred and  
clicked as the command was processed. A light in the center of the  
machines flashed red and slender appendages came from the metallic   
bodies, giving them the look of mechanical spiders. Mining tools were  
attached to the multiple arms, a high pitched whine filling the air as  
they all started up at once. Moving as one, the drones skimmed along  
the ground, trying to do as they were bid.  
  
Dirk, meanwhile, had pulled out several hammers and chisels. Cursing  
under his breath he started to chip away at the crystal that was   
everywhere. The ground was hard enough to make Dirk's knees ache and   
it only added to his foul temper.   
  
"Don't just stand there," he growled at his brother, "Pick up a chisel  
and get to work."  
  
"In a minute." His eyes still closed, Rory suddenly cocked his head   
to one side as if listening to something only he could hear. He was   
a minor mage but, frustratingly enough, he could sense the major   
magics that his body was incapable of handling. That skill was what  
allowed him to "see" just where the wards that protected Elysion were  
the weakest. His gift of magic was very limited, but even a diamond  
could be broken if pressure was applied to the correct spot.  
  
The sense was fairly screaming at the skinny, little man right now   
and he let the pull of it guide him. He rounded a corner into a   
sheltered glen and gave a gasp. Arrayed in a circle were a series   
of what looked like crystal statues. At the center of the circle   
were two figures, holding each other close. Calling on the part   
of himself that could "see" magic, Rory perceived the ribbons of   
brightly colored power that flowed into the pair, like the spokes of  
a wheel. He spared only a furtive glance to the other crystalline   
figures that adorned the grove. There was power in one or two of the  
"statues", but it didn't compare to what was before him. They could   
wait for later, Rory decided. An interesting theory was formenting   
in his mind and all of his limited intellect was focused on it.  
  
There were shouts of outrage and anger behind him, but Rory ignored   
them. Every fiber of his being was focused on the man and woman who   
held each other in a loving embrace. A tentative hand caressed the   
crystal. "Master of Life have mercy," he whispered, "Could this be   
Serenity and Endymion?"  
  
***************************************  
  
When Dirk had purchased the mining drones, he'd been told that they   
were speedy, efficient and user friendly. The speedy part was evident  
as the busy little machines skimmed along the surface of Elysion,   
tools whirring away. The one word commands they were programmed to   
obey actually suited Dirk quite well. He'd never been the most   
technically adept man in the S'Eyre Imperium. As for efficient,   
well, that was another matter Dirk decided. For all the multitude of  
high tech tools the drones were equipped with, they was very little   
to show for it; nothing, to be exact. With mechanical precision they   
chipped, hacked and drilled away at the crystal that refused to be so  
much as scratched.  
  
The tall lean man was hunched over, hammer and chisel in hand. When   
gentle taps produced no results, the vigor of his efforts increased in  
direct proportion to how quickly his frustration level was rising.   
In a very short time he was pounding away the crystalline ground of   
Elysion, muttering darkly. A slip of the hand caused him to bring the  
thin hammer down smartly on his thumb. He bellowed out a curse that  
echoed across the still landscape.  
  
The cry had not even finished dying away when there was another flash  
of light, this time almost on top of the small band of drones. Dirk automatically brought one hand up to cover his eyes, whacking himself   
on the head with his tiny hammer. The light died away as quickly as   
it had appeared. The stars in Dirk's head took a moment longer, but   
when they, too, finally faded what he saw made him gasp.  
  
Two women in odd uniforms stood in front of him. They seemed as   
surprised to see him as he was to see them. The one with the aqua   
hair shook her head almost regretfully.  
  
"You are trespassing but I'm willing to give you the benefit of the   
doubt and assume that you didn't know that," Michiru said in a   
civilized fashion. "So if you take your toys and leave now then   
things won't have to get rough."  
  
"Who, by the freezing pits of hell, are you?" Dirk shouted on his   
knees, trying his best to sound tough. His day just kept getting   
worse. Going back to a career in accounting was sounding better by   
the moment.  
  
Neptune glanced briefly at her lifemate and partner. "Invited by the  
new age, I am Sailor Neptune, acting gracefully!"  
  
"Also invited by the new age I am Sailor Uranus, entering elegantly!"  
  
"I am Dirk, in charge of this expedition and I am not having a good   
day," Dirk shouted, grasping his pickaxe in one hand, "Don't just   
stand there you mechanical morons," he shouted at the drones who were  
busily ignoring his plight, "Defend!"   
  
The command was processed and the buzzing, little beach-balls all   
chattered away at the same time, "Defend, defend, defend!" In a   
flash they zipped around Uranus and Neptune, forming a circle with   
the two Senshi at the center. There was a high pitched whine as   
energy weapons charged. Long cylinders were speedily deployed, the  
tools neatly retracted to the chant of "Defend, defend, defend."   
They quivered with martial excitement when their charges built to  
maximum but nothing more than a puff of smoke came from them.   
  
"Conventional energy weapons don't work within the confines of   
Elysion," Neptune gave Dirk a look of utter scorn. She sighed   
dramatically, glancing at Uranus. "The caliber of our foes seems to  
have gone straight down hill. No one does their homework anymore."  
  
In reply Uranus called on her talisman. It came to her hand and she   
gave the now profusely sweating Dirk a wolfish smile. "Conventional  
energy weapons may not work here, but magical ones will. Want to see  
what I can do with this one?"  
  
All the one word commands in the drones very limited vocabulary ran   
through Dirk's mind. Usually used in deep mining, they did have one  
capability that just might prove useful. Various rodents and other  
pests loved to try and take over the neatly dug holes that the mining  
drones made. These robots had been built with pest control as one of   
their back-up functions. Desperate, Dirk used that function now.  
  
"Exterminate!" he shouted, pointing again at Uranus and Neptune.   
  
"Exterminate," the command was repeated by all six. "Exterminate,   
exterminate." The instruction processed, the hovering drones quickly  
redeployed their multiple appendages. All of the very sharp tools whirred to life at the same time.   
  
Uranus snorted disdainfully. "Exterminate? What are these things   
supposed to be – Daleks?"  
  
Back to back, Neptune began to power up her own attack, "Excuse me   
Doctor Who, but we have a slightly more pressing matter at hand."  
  
The curved blade held by the Soldier of the Sky glowed. "Then let me   
take the first shot, ne? Space sword – blaster!"  
  
The sight of the energy from the curved blade plowing into the mining   
robot snapped Dirk out the stupor he'd been falling into. The drone   
exploded into a million very small bits of shrapnel that whistled by   
his head. Ever mindful of his own personal security, Dirk bolted in   
the general direction in which he'd seen Rory head off. With the rate   
at which his drones were falling, he had less than a minute to get out   
of here before the two Senshi finished blasting their way through the   
remaining machines and came looking for him. Sliding on the slick   
crystalline surface, Dirk rounded the corner to see Rory running his   
hands over some kind of statue.  
  
"Open the Gate," Dirk shrieked with undisguised panic. "Open the   
Gate! We've got to go!"  
  
"Go?" Rory repeated dully, never even turning to look at his brother.  
"We can't go now. Do you know who this is?"  
  
"I don't care if it's the High King of the S'Eyre Imperium," Dirk   
retorted heading for Rory. "This place isn't deserted. If we don't   
leave right now, we'll be spending the next twenty years in a penal   
colony so remote that they have to pipe in sunlight."  
  
"This could be Serenity and Endymion!" Rory knew what this discovery   
meant. Before him might be the holders of the legendary Silver and   
Golden Crystals. The fable of those stones of power had been told and   
retold by every mage and mystic for a thousand years.  
The version of the tale of Elysion that he knew said that the   
Princess would bestow one wish to the person who could awaken her.   
Whether or not that was true, Rory could sense the incredible energies  
that flowed from and through the man and woman in the shining   
chrysalis. If he could access that power and control it…  
  
Rory channeled every ounce of power he had into his hands, pushing   
them against the crystalline barrier that encased the lovers. "This   
is my chance to shine, Dirk. Once I have the power here I'll be the   
biggest star this galaxy has ever seen. I can't let this chance pass   
me by!"  
  
"What are you doing, you idiot," Dirk made a grab for proto-gate's key  
where it lay hooked on the smaller man's belt. "Open the damned Gate!"  
  
He didn't have enough power to break the spell, Rory knew in a moment   
of maddening frustration. There was only a millimeter thin layer of   
crystal separating him from gaining the means to the power and respect   
he had craved all his life. Avarice and desperation made him throw   
caution to the wind and Rory grabbed greedily at the forces he could   
sense, but had never been able to control.   
  
He could "see" that the flow of power into the center of the wheel was fluctuating because of his interference, but Rory misinterpreted that   
as a good sign. If he could affect the power, he reasoned, he could   
channel it into himself. That mistake was a small one, but like a   
single snowflake, it started to roll together a series of events that   
would cause an avalanche.  
  
The pain began as a slight twinge, then quickly started to mount.   
Rory knew that pain was the body's way of saying, "don't do that!"   
but like most warnings that had come his way, Rory found an excuse to  
ignore it. The healing properties of both crystals were well known.  
If he could manage to survive long enough to take one, he'd be able   
to reverse whatever damage was done.  
  
Dirk had the key and with the flick of a switch, opened the portal of  
the proto-gate. The doorway seemed unstable, snapping open and closed  
in a pulsing beat that the tall, wiry man could feel echo through his   
body. He took the key and began to bang it against one hand.   
  
"Come on, come on – work!" The small war was now spilling ever   
closer. Desperation crept into Dirk's voice. "What's wrong with this  
thing, Rory?"  
  
Rory was beyond hearing his partner's frantic cries. A mystic wild  
fire filled Rory and any attempt at control was lost in a fraction of  
a second. His body was unable to handle the forces he had tapped into  
and they began to take control of him, instead. The Proto-gate's   
portal shuddered and convulsed. Tendrils of wild energy snaked out   
to strike at the spot where Mamoru and Usagi were cocooned together.   
The added power made the air around them shriek in a tone that caused   
the faceted chrysalis to vibrate.   
  
The small, thin man started to glow. His hands merged with the   
crystal encasing Mamoru and Usagi. Acting as a conduit for the power   
raging through him, Rory was able to touch them. A third party   
abruptly intruding on the endless circle of power between the two   
soul-mates ruptured the delicate balance maintained for a thousand   
years. For a brief nano-second Rory's dream was realized.  
  
He became a star that outshone all others - just before he and those  
around him vanished in a blazing pillar of light.   
  
  
***************************************  
  
  
It was the sound of a heart rending wailing that made Uranus crack   
open her eyes. Confused, Haruka slowly brought a hand to her forehead  
and took a slow, deep breath. She remembered fighting, then a bright   
flash that hit her like a cement truck. Uranus shook her head, trying  
to clear the fog out of her mind. She got to her hands and knees   
looking around her. Neptune was down but moving, Haruka saw to her  
great relief, attempting to roll over onto her back.   
  
The wordless wailing behind her changed in tone, anger flaring hotly.  
Haruka knew that voice and her head snapped around to see Mamoru in   
the black armor of the last Prince of Earth. He had his sword out   
and was advancing on the last of the mining drones.   
  
The floating beach ball of death, the very last of the half dozen   
mining drones Haruka noted, made a wide swipe at Mamoru with a buzzing  
saw-like tool. For all his manic state, the armor clad man was still   
remarkably agile. He danced out of the way of the blade attempting to  
gut him. Mamoru used the momentum he had built. In a graceful arc he  
spun and the blade neatly sliced through the machine at an angle. The  
two separate and now smoking pieces fell back to the ground in a   
shower of sparks.  
  
"Mamoru," Haruka began getting to her feet. She used the Space Sword   
as a crutch to help her up and grimaced at the undignified use of the  
sacred talisman.   
  
He swung his whole body towards her and Haruka got her first good   
look at him. Mamoru's eyes were wild and the light of insanity in   
them gave even the Soldier of the Sky pause. He brought his broad   
sword up, taking on a classic posture of aggression.  
  
"Mamoru, it's okay. It's us," Uranus said, beginning to wonder if he  
could even hear her. "Where's Usagi?"  
  
The sound of his beloved's name had an effect on the Prince of Earth  
all right, but not the one Haruka had been going for. His breath   
came in loud, ragged gasps and a look of intense pain flickered   
across his face. Mamoru staggered for an instant as if he'd been   
struck. An animal moan of despair ripped out of him. Gripping the   
deadly blade tighter, he launched himself at Uranus.   
  
"Uranus, drop the sword!" Michiru shouted.  
  
"Drop the sword?" Uranus called out as she barely managed to deflect  
a blow intended to cut her in half. "Are you crazy?! He'll kill me!"  
  
"Take a good look at him, Haruka. The lights are on but nobody's home.  
Mamoru is acting on instinct right now," Neptune said, getting to her   
feet.  
  
"And his instincts, which are pretty damn good I might add, seems to  
be to hack me into Senshi-kabobs!" She cursed loudly, bringing up her   
talisman in an attempt to ward off the death that was coming at her.   
The savage fury of Mamoru's attack knocked both of them to the ground.   
Pushing with all the strength she had, Uranus managed to shove Mamoru   
away, rolling to her feet.  
  
Neptune was back on her feet. A gesture called her talisman, the aqua  
mirror to her hand. "Mamoru's first instinct is to protect. If you   
get rid of the sword you won't be a threat anymore and I think he'll   
stop attacking you."  
  
"You think?" Haruka spared Michiru a glance of pure annoyance. "I am  
not about to put this sword down until you're a bit more sure that   
Mamoru won't slice me into julienne fries !"  
  
A slip on the crystalline grass took Haruka's feet out from under her  
and she went down hard. Mamoru brought his long sword over his head,  
the arc of descent plain to see. Neptune screamed her lifemate's   
name, and raised the Mirror to attack, but knew with sick certainty   
that she'd never be able to stop Mamoru in time.  
  
"Endymion, stop!" The voice was hoarse, but there was an undeniable  
authority to it.   
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Neptune saw a young man with shoulder   
length hair the color of moonlight, trying to come up beside her.   
He was shaking badly, each small step harder for him than the last.   
Helios, guardian priest of Elysion, ignored the fact that his legs   
wanted to buckle and thrust a hand at the man in the black armor.  
  
"Endymion, you don't want to hurt her," he coaxed gently. "This is   
one of the Soldier's of the White Moon Kingdom, remember? This is   
Sailor Uranus of the Outer Senshi."   
  
He paused, arms still shaking with pent up rage and terror.   
S…senshi?" The wild eyes blinked, as if trying to wake from a   
nightmare. He took a deep, shuddering breath and there was a flicker   
of recognition in Mamoru's eyes. The blade was slowly lowered, then   
finally dropped altogether. Black armor melted away, a tuxedo   
replacing it.   
  
The insane light in his eyes faded thought and will returning to   
them. "Usako," he moaned, the desperation in his voice breaking   
Neptune's heart. Mamoru's knees buckled and he started to fall.   
Uranus lurched forward to try and catch him when he toppled to the   
ground.   
  
The Prince was shaking violently, shock taking over. "Usako," he   
rasped, eyes rolling up into the back of his head, "Usako…"  
  
"Please, help me," Helios staggered, nearly falling himself, "I have  
to get to Endymion." His face was bleak and haggard, and he swayed on  
his feet as though totally exhausted. "Please, if I don't help him,   
he could die."   
  
Neptune quickly slipped a supportive arm around Helios and nearly   
dragged him to where Mamoru lay on the ground. The last Crown Prince  
of Earth was in deep shock, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his   
body starting to convulse. Helios fell to his knees and, his own   
hands shaking badly, reached out for his prince. Eyes closed in   
concentration and a warm, golden glow filled him. Placing a gentle   
hand on Mamoru, he let the aura flow into the prince.   
  
The convulsive shaking slowed, then finally stopped. Midnight blue   
eyes cracked open for an instant, terrible loss in them. "Usako,"   
Mamoru called softly. His eyes slid shut once more and he lost   
consciousness.  
  
"He's in a healing trance right now," Helios said. He still seemed   
somewhat dazed himself and slowly shook his head back and forth in an  
effort to clear it. "The Prince and Princess were in deep rapport.   
The shock of the sudden separation…"   
  
"Separation?" Neptune said, trepidation creeping into her voice.  
  
Uranus caught her eye as they both had the same thought at the same  
instant. "Where's Usagi?" She started to turn, preparing to make  
a mad dash for the grove where they had last seen Usagi and Mamoru   
cocooned together.   
  
Helios reached out and grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. "She's  
gone," he said sadly. "The Princess is gone and so are most of the   
Senshi."  
  
***************************************  
  
Rory wasn't exactly sure just where it had all gone wrong. Dirk, he  
was quite certain, would be more than happy to explore that particular  
topic with him at length. That would have to wait, however, as they  
were both rather busy at the moment. The two dozen well armed men   
around them seemed to be equally as unhappy as the two would-be   
crystal miners on the floor.  
  
"Have we come at a bad time?" Rory said in his most polite voice.   
It was never a good idea to be rude to burly men who looked as if   
they wanted to use you for target practice.  
  
Dirk slapped his hand to his forehead at Rory's remark. "This is   
another fine mess you've gotten us into!" he hissed at his partner.   
  
"Well, what do we have here?" came a voice from in back of the large,  
well armed guards. The soldiers parted ranks and a young man walked   
towards them, arrogance written in every line of his body. From his   
blazing red hair to his cold eyes, he gave the overall impression of   
a man who enjoyed pulling the wings off of flies.   
  
"We get so few visitors here on our little world," he said, staring   
down at the hapless pair. I am Crimson Rubeus. Welcome to Nemesis."  
  
***************************************  
  
"Usagi and the others are alive. They've been scattered across time  
and space by the Proto-Gate," Setsuna said looking at Mamoru. The   
future Pluto's body kept fading in and out like a candle in a breeze.  
She held her staff in both hands, a soft ruby glow encasing her.   
  
"What do you mean, 'scattered across time and space'?" Mamoru asked,   
trying not to let the desperation creep into his voice. He looked   
only marginally better, pale and haggard.  
  
"When the proto-gate those fools were trying to use overloaded, it   
grabbed at a superior power source; Usagi and the Ginzuishou. My own  
Gate was partially formed by the power of the silver crystal and it   
started to react to those energies. The resulting release of wild   
power damaged the fabric of the fourth dimension around Elysion.   
That's why I had Small Lady find Uranus and Neptune and drop them  
here. With the way things are now, I don't want to chance having   
both my past and future selves in anything remotely close to the   
same moment in time," she paused, trying to find a way to explain the complicated temporal physics. "Bad things can happen when two Gates   
try to occupy the same space at the same time – really bad things."  
  
"Is that what happened?" Mamoru asked. There were too many questions   
and not enough answers.  
  
"You were lucky in that the two Gates tried, but failed, to open   
simultaneously . It was a close enough call that the temporal matrix  
of the proto-gate was shattered." Pluto replied, strain evident on   
her face. "The other Senshi were sharing their power with Usagi as   
they've done in the past and they ended up being sucked in as well.   
By all rights they should be dead, but the Ginzuishou kept the proto  
gate operating long enough to deposit the Inner Senshi in their own   
pasts. "  
  
Uranus had her chin on her folded hands, trying to make sense of the  
situation. "Mamoru and Usagi are linked. Why wasn't he taken with   
her as well?"  
  
Helios spoke up from where he sat on one side of Mamoru. "The Prince  
is bound to the Earth as the Princess is to the Moon. Here in Elysion  
that bond is at its strongest."  
  
"And it's because his power is strongest here that you may be able to   
break the spell of crystal sleep for those within Elysion. Please,"   
Pluto said, her eyes closing in concentration. "Neptune, Uranus, you   
were brought forward to help awaken Sailor Pluto of this time. My   
talisman will act in concert with yours. By accessing that power,   
it'll awaken me. Once awake, I should be able to use the Timegate to  
track down the others."  
  
Mamoru narrowed his eyes at the tone of Setsuna's voice. "Wait a   
minute, 'should'? Don't you know?"  
  
Her body was becoming less tangible with each passing second. "No,  
I don't. None of us do. We've all suffered various amounts of damage  
to our memories due to the spell of crystal sleep. Some of those   
missing memories eventually returned and some didn't, but none of us  
have any recollection of waking in Elysion as you just have. With   
the current chaos in the fabric of the fourth dimension, I fear a warp   
in the timeline is trying to occur."  
  
Her body was fading out again, the look of strain on Setsuna's face   
becoming one of pain. "I can't stay here long, even in this astral   
form. This whole area…dangerously unstable…because of the proto-  
gate accident. You must find Usagi and the Inner Senshi or Earth…  
never awaken…! Usagi holds the key to that awakening   
within her." Pluto was losing the battle to stay connected to   
Elysion. "Only when …all nine soldiers together…the seal be broken!"  
  
"I don't understand," Neptune asked, her voice growing louder as   
Pluto's shadowy body was being pulled apart by the temporal winds.   
"Pluto – what seal!"  
  
"…to keep it safe…the nine soldiers hold the key…" Setsuna was   
almost gone, but with a last flicker of ruby power, her voice rang   
true, even as she disappeared.   
  
"Only when the nine act with one heart can the Seal be broken and   
the world awakened!"  
  
  
***************************************  
  
He was called the "White Prince" for many reasons. His fine hair was  
more silver than white, positively glowing where it fell against the   
shoulders of the white outfits he favored. He was also the direct   
opposite of his father, who had come to be known as the "Black Prince".   
  
Groomed for his position since birth, Demando knew what was expected of  
him. He was the last, true prince; the ultimate product of a thousand   
years of waiting and planning. His step-father had been regent for   
him until the day Demando turned sixteen. The regent had been a good   
leader but the years took their toll on the man. In the end he'd become  
as dark and cold as the planet he presided over. After a decade long   
descent into madness, his step-father had finally died by his own hand  
six years ago. The White Prince then ascended the throne and became   
Demando, Prince of Nemesis and absolute ruler of the Black Moon Clan.   
  
With the regal disdain that was one of his trademarks, Demando sipped  
slowly on a snifter of a blood red wine that he favored and watched   
the drama that played out for his benefit. His younger brother,   
Saffir, was a capable man, but he had no interest in political power. Sensitive, with a keen and inquisitive mind, Saffir was well suited to  
his role as chief advisor. He was the conscience that Demando was no  
longer allowed the luxury of having, the voice of reason in an   
unreasoning universe.   
  
"No, no, no," Saffir said to Rubeus as if talking to a mentally   
deficient child, "We shouldn't just kill them."  
  
Demando sat quietly on his carved throne, watching Rubeus. He knew  
that the man was ambitious, but had always had lingering doubts about   
the extent of his talents. Casual ruthlessness was an admirable   
quality in a warrior. It was less so in a man who wished to command  
others.  
  
Rubeus glanced at Saffir, but could sense that he was being sized up   
by his Prince. This was his chance to impress Demando and, perhaps,   
acquire more power for himself. "These two are most likely spies;   
perhaps even from Earth. Dead men tell no tales," Rubeus quoted with  
a bit too much glee.  
  
A long suffering sigh came from Saffir. "And dead men will give you   
no information either."  
  
Folding his arms across his chest, Rubeus struggled to keep his   
temper under control. He couldn't quite understand all the fuss.   
"If it'll make you happy I'll be glad to torture them first. That   
should get you all the information you could possibly want. Then   
I'll kill them."  
  
Bringing his hand to his mouth the White Prince managed to keep from   
laughing out loud at the expression on his brother's face. "Rubeus,   
I commend your quick action in capturing the two intruders. Keep   
them under close guard for now. I'll decide their fate later."  
  
Knowing a dismissal when he heard it, Rubeus gave his Prince a bow of  
proper respect. Saffir was graced with a look that plainly indicated  
that Rubeus thought himself the victor in the small conflict. The   
large double doors to the great hall had barely closed, the sharp   
sound of the jackboots the redhead liked to wear receding quickly   
when Saffir moaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration.  
  
"Moron," Saffir sighed, rolling his eyes again. "That man's solution  
to every problem is force."  
  
"That's not a bad thing in a soldier, Saffir," Demando responded, but  
not harshly. "If I want someone dead, then Crimson Rubeus is the   
right man for the job."   
  
The White Prince finished his drink and stood, turning to contemplate  
the dark inferno that raged behind his throne. He closed his eyes   
for a moment, feeling the power of the Jakozusho echo inside him. He  
wondered, and not for the first time, if it was the power of this   
Black Crystal that had drawn his people to Nemesis. To be honest,  
Demando had always had doubts about the tale of the "voice" that   
called to the refugees from across time and space. Still, the White  
Prince mused, the myth of a voice calling them to their special   
destiny was very popular among the common people. There were times   
when he could swear that there was a sentience to the giant crystal.  
He could sense that strange intelligence stirring, struggling to   
awaken and it called to him.  
  
Saffir watched his brother place a tentative hand on the column of   
dark energy. Once again Demando seemed to be lost in the spell of   
the Jakozusho and that was more than a little troubling. Demando   
was supposed to control the power, not the other way around.   
  
"Demando…" Saffir started, worried.  
  
Pulling himself away from the alluring song of the Black Crystal,   
the White Prince smiled at Saffir. "I know that look, little brother.  
What is it?" he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice.  
  
"As you know, the power of the Jakozusho tends to distort the space   
around us," Saffir began. He started to pace restlessly back and   
forth as he spoke. "That distortion is the reason we've been   
effectively trapped here on Nemesis since our parents' exile about a  
quarter of a century ago. The power of the Jakozusho allows us to   
survive on this inhospitable world, but it's also our jailor."  
  
"True enough," Demando allowed. A grim smile came to his lips. "But  
our generation has adapted, learned to use the power of the Black   
Crystal." He opened himself to the dark mystic energies, enjoying the  
sensual thrill that always came with the power. "I'm more attuned to   
the Jakozusho than any other of our Clan. I will be the one to find   
a way to free our people. And when I do we will have vengeance for  
all our ancestors suffered."  
  
For a moment Saffir looked like a child, his hands rubbing together  
in an unsettled yet excited manner. "Do you realize what the   
appearance of those two strangers means?" He nervously brushed a   
lock of his raven hair from his eyes. "That device the two intruders  
used to get here may be the way to that freedom."   
  
That got the attention of the White Prince. "How so?"  
  
Looking around to make sure they were quite alone, Saffir moved   
close enough so that his words were soft, almost whispered. "It's   
very similar to the machine that brought our people here in the first  
place. With some tinkering, I think I may be able to adapt it for   
our use. I suspect it uses a path of travel through the fourth   
dimension – outside the boundaries  
of space and time as we know it. Think about it! We could go any  
where we chose to, get through any defenses without detection."  
  
"We would be unstoppable," The implications were not lost on Demando.  
"Have you told anyone else about this?"  
  
"Of course not," Saffir snorted. "Do I look like an idiot? Do you   
know what this power could do in the hands of our enemies?"  
  
That made Demando smile. "Or in the hands of people like Rubeus?" he   
teased. "Do what you have to but very quietly. When you are ready,   
come to me and we'll test this interesting theory of yours, brother."  
  
  
***************************************  
  
Helios remembered the first time he'd come face to face with his Prince.  
It was during the struggle to save Elysion and Earth from the insane   
greed of Nephelenia, Queen of the Dead Moon. Suffering the pain of   
this world's invasion, Mamoru had, nevertheless, tried to console   
Helios when the Guardian had despaired of defeating such a powerful   
enemy. There had been the promise of greatness in the young Prince,   
a promise that Helios now saw fulfilled. There had been few physical   
changes over the handful of years. Mamoru's profile was more finely   
chiseled now, and there was more muscle on the lean body. But it was   
the quiet strength he unconsciously radiated that showed that Chiba   
Mamoru had finally come into the heritage that had waited a thousand   
years for him to claim. He was Endymion, Master of the Golden Crystal   
and the True King of Earth. There was a look of intense concentration   
on Mamoru's face and Helios found himself wondering just what the man   
was thinking.   
  
The future Pluto was very right when she'd commented that their   
memories were "damaged". Mamoru knew what the power of the Golden   
Crystal was, but couldn't remember just how he'd discovered that   
little secret. Things were jumbled in his mind and he wasn't at all  
sure of just how they'd come to be here in Elysion. The one thing he  
was very sure of was that they'd had no choice. If Earth hadn't gone  
into suspension, mankind would have become extinct.   
  
Those questions would have to wait and Mamoru pushed them aside with  
iron discipline. Neptune and Uranus had their talismans out. They   
stood at attention, eyes closed. The Deep Aqua Mirror and the Space  
Sword glowed, a thin line of fire dancing between the two. Opening   
themselves, Uranus and Neptune gathered their power and called for   
the third mystic tool. That line headed unerringly for the last   
sacred object in the triumvirate that was the base of their power as  
Outer Senshi  
  
From within the faceted crystal that held Setsuna, Sailor Pluto and   
her twin, Lorilei cocooned a ruby light sparked. It was small, at   
first, a dim glow from the garnet orb on the Timestaff. That flicker   
grew quickly, a burst of crimson fire exploding brightly enough to make  
Mamoru want to shield his eyes. He called on the power of Earth and   
the Golden Crystal came to his cupped hands. It floated between them   
like a small sun, and a ray of that power shot towards the now shining chrysalis. It shattered in a heartbeat sending rainbow shards in all directions.  
  
The stone between Mamoru's hands still glowed as he tried to mold the   
power generated by the talismans. He only caught hold of a fragment   
of it, but it would be enough for the purpose he intended. A wave of   
golden light filled the dark haired prince of Earth, then moved   
outwards. In its wake the crystal cocoons that covered those still   
sleeping began to fracture.   
  
Sweat ran down Mamoru's face, but he pushed on. Behind him Helios   
bent his head and added his fervent prayers. Prince, priest and   
planet acted as one, and in a burst of power that drove Mamoru to his  
knees, he broke the spell that held Elysion in suspension.   
  
A breeze sprang up, the sweet smell of sun warmed grass and flowers   
carried on it. Life was returning to Earth's hidden shrine. With an  
eerie harmony the twins fell to their knees in perfect synch, hands   
still touching and fingers entwined. All around them people tumbled   
to the lush earth. Luna and Artemis, Rei's grandfather, Yuuichirou,   
Dr. Mizuno and even Goruden Kobushi stirred and slowly began to rise.   
  
Setsuna was blinking owlishly, trying to clear her mind of the chaotic  
jumble of thoughts and images that made no sense to her. She gently   
disengaged her hand from Lorilei's, letting the fingertips brush   
against her twin's in a gesture of silent comfort.  
  
"Lady Pluto, are you all right?" Helios put healing hands on the   
Senshi of Time, helping her to shake off the effects of suspension.  
  
The voice caused Setsuna's head to snap up and her eyes widened in   
shocked recognition. "Helios?" She shook her head as the warm,   
healing light filled her and memory started to return. "Elysion,   
we're in Elysion…"   
  
Pluto glanced quickly around and took in the fact that the grove was  
not the pastoral and eminently tidy place she remembered. The   
ground was torn up in places and bits of crystal lay all around her.  
All in all, it looked like someone had fought a war in here – and   
lost. Pluto quickly spotted Luna and Artemis shaking bits of crystal  
from their coats. She just as quickly noticed that still others   
seemed to be missing.  
  
"What happened here? Where is everyone?" Setsuna asked cautiously.   
  
"We don't know," Mamoru said. Setsuna almost flinched at the look   
of pain that haunted his eyes. "But we're hoping that you can help  
us change that."  
  
***************************************  
  
While Demando was the absolute ruler of Nemesis, there was one place   
where even his authority had no influence whatsoever. Saffir's   
private sanctuary was a combination of things; library, workshop and   
ad hoc laboratory. The White Prince stood quietly in one corner of   
the room, a small smile on his face as he watched his brother tinker  
carefully with the alien device the two strangers had brought.   
  
"You shouldn't be here, onii-san," Saffir glanced at Demando once   
while he scrutinized the control box. "I think I've figured out how   
to trigger the portal. If something goes wrong when I activate it…"  
  
"If something goes wrong then I definitely should be here. I'm the   
only one with enough power to contain an 'accident'." Demando replied  
amused by his brother's concern for him.   
  
"You are much too confident for your own good," Saffir sighed. This  
was a never ending topic between the two. "That's going to get you   
in serious trouble someday."  
  
"But I have you to keep me humble, Saffir," Demando laughed softly.  
  
"As if anything could," grumbled the younger man. He picked up a   
small scanner and ran it over the device. It began to vibrate in his   
hand. The vibration became a humming that rapidly grew louder. "Got   
it. I'm going to try and open the portal."  
  
The control panel nearly leapt out of Saffir's hands. A brilliant,   
silver light filled the room accompanied by a burst of melodic sound.   
A shining, silver arch formed, rainbow light swirling across its   
surface.  
  
"Yes!" Saffir hissed in triumph. "It works! It really…" he stopped   
when the control panel beeped at him. A puzzled look came over the   
young man's face. "That's strange. The power source for the portal   
is coming from inside the fourth dimension."  
  
"And it's not supposed to?" Demando enjoyed seeing Saffir so excited   
when one of his pet projects worked the way it was intended to.  
  
A lock of raven hair fell into Saffir's eyes, and he pushed it away   
irritably. He fiddled with the control panel. "Let me see if I can   
get a picture of where the power is coming from."  
  
Slowly, very slowly, the multi-colored mists pulled back. On the   
other side of the portal was a roiling mass of darkness. In the   
center of the storm of shadows was a single point of light.   
There was a figure in the light, Saffir saw, and it moved closer.  
  
"Demando, something's coming through," Saffir called out. "It   
could be an attack. Teleport out of here!"  
  
"Not without you!" the White Prince called back.   
  
He reached for his brother just as the portal seemed to explode. The  
hastily erected shield of dark energy kept the two from being   
seriously hurt, but both were caught up in the wake of the blast and  
tossed across the large room.   
  
The White Prince shook his head, rising to his knees. Saffir was in   
back of him, moaning softly, dazed but relatively unscathed. Stars,   
the stunned Demando thought, why is the room filled with stars?   
  
And then he saw her.   
  
The angel floated in the light, great, silver wings extended. She   
rode the wave of power that flowed around and through her as if she   
had been born to do it. The gown of stardust the woman in the light   
wore moved in response to the unseen mystic winds. Between cupped   
hands was a tiny crystal and even though her face looked only at the   
stone that shone so brightly, Demando could see that there was the   
sigil of a crescent moon on her forehead. It burned with the same   
light that came from the crystal.   
  
"So beautiful," Demando murmured. When his eye fell on the crescent   
moon that adorned her brow and he inhaled sharply. "Could it be…?"   
  
All other thoughts were banished when that silver energy lapped at   
the edges of the dark shield he'd erected. The part of Demando   
irrevocably linked to the Black Poison Crystal awakened inside of   
him, reacting to the eldritch energies of that now filled the room.   
The mystic wildfire unleashed around him was day to the night of the   
great power of Nemesis, the light that gave the shadows life. The   
beast that was the Black Poison Crystal inside him howled greedily.   
The ravening hunger, the need to possess and consume that silver   
light hit him with a strength and will the likes of which Demando   
never felt from the crystal before.   
  
Wings, such a brilliant and pure silver that they actually appeared   
to have a blue tinge to them, cupped Usagi's body for an instant   
before snapping open. She threw her arms wide open, as if to embrace  
the power around her. With one last flash so dazzling that everyone   
and everything in the room was washed by it, Usagi was gone. The   
portal collapsed in on itself with a rush until the only sound left   
in the laboratory was the pounding of the White Prince's heart.  
  
"Onii-san," Saffir anxious voice cut through the fog in his mind.   
"Are you all right?"  
  
Demando was still staring at the place where Usagi had appeared.   
"Get her back."  
  
"Get her back?" Saffir stumbled over the words. "She nearly blew   
you, me and the workroom to bits and you want me to get her back?"  
  
"She also has the power we need to control this device," Demando  
snapped at his younger brother more sharply than he'd intended to.  
"We have to have that power," he said in a more even tone. "And that  
means we need to find her again."  
  
  
A part of the White Prince could still feel the rush that went through  
him as the silver light touched him. The memory of the exquisite   
woman with the golden crescent moon riding the power around her was   
sweet beyond measure. There was something about her that was eerily,  
impossibly familiar. Could the Angel in the light possibly be who he  
thought she was? That idea, and the thought of controlling the power  
the woman had, was irresistible.  
  
"Find her Saffir," Demando still stared at the spot where Usagi had   
disappeared from. "Use whatever resources you have to, but find her."   
  
***************************************  
  
Elysion, its guardian priest and prince were all connected. That's   
why Helios had been freed from suspension at the same instant as   
Mamoru. Those in the world above still slept on, oblivious to the   
fact that their only hope of ever awakening had vanished. Without   
Usagi and the power of the Ginzuishou, the spell of crystal sleep   
could not be broken on a planetary scale.  
  
Although Elysion was a place between places, some of the patterns of   
life that ruled Earth also held sway here. There was day and night,  
sun and moon, but no change of seasons. It was always summer in   
Elysion and the most perfect of summer days at that. As night drew   
near, the sound of birdsong slowed and gave way to the nocturnal   
chorus of insects.   
  
Utterly exhausted by the day's events, Mamoru had still wanted to   
press on and attempt to find Usagi. It was Setsuna who at last   
convinced him that they couldn't just open her Gate and pop off after  
the missing Senshi. It was true that the Timegate should be able to   
follow the trail left by the proto-gate, Setsuna had said, but that   
didn't mean it was an easy task. The Keeper of the Timegate needed   
time to sort it all out.  
  
The bedroom Mamoru was in seemed vaguely familiar to him. Helios had   
explained that it was his back when his family had lived in Elysion.   
He stretched out on the large bed, staring at the ceiling. His last,   
clear, linear memory was being at the hospital. It was the end of his   
shift and he was looking forward to the evening he had planned.   
Tonight he was taking Usagi to one of Tokyo's finest restaurants and   
there he was going to suggest that they finally set a date for their   
wedding. After that everything was a jumble of maddeningly sharp   
images mixed in with feelings and words that made no sense to him.  
  
He could see Usagi, radiant with the light of the Ginzuishou that   
transfigured her into an angel. Mamoru knew she was fighting and   
that the battle was going to probably cost both of them their lives.  
But who they were fighting and, most importantly, why was a complete  
mystery. He could hear his own voice saying a phrase that made a   
multitude of conflicting emotions surge through him.  
  
"Together," he mumbled aloud, the sound of the words giving him a   
strange comfort, "together whatever happens."  
  
There was a gentle bump on his leg and he almost jumped in surprise.  
Lifting his head from the pillow Mamoru saw two round blue eyes   
staring at him. It was a small gray and white rabbit, looking at   
Mamoru as if he owned the place and the Prince was the intruder.  
  
"What the hell…? Wait a minute, I know you," Mamoru started slowly.   
  
The gray and white creature with the long, floppy ears sat up on his   
hind legs, looking around the room. He tilted his head up, the large  
ears threatening to pull him over backwards for an instant. The  
mini-lop settled back down on all four feet, then moved up the bed   
until he was face to face with Mamoru.   
  
Mamoru looked at the rabbit and the rabbit, unimpressed with the   
Prince of Earth, looked back at Mamoru.  
  
Disjointed images flooded Mamoru's mind. He saw Usagi giving a   
squeal of delight as she picked up a tiny, baby rabbit. He saw   
himself scolding both Usagi and her pet as the smug, little beast   
cuddled in bed with his beloved. He could hear her voice telling him  
not to tease…not to tease…  
  
"Moochi," Mamoru whispered. "I gave you to Usako. Your name is   
Moochi."  
  
The ears rotated slightly forward as the little lop heard his name   
called.   
  
"And I don't think I like you very much," Mamoru added. He had the   
distinct impression that he regarded Moochi as six and a half pounds   
of furry annoyance.   
  
The look Moochi gave him said that the feeling was mutual. He pushed   
at Mamoru with his head, then under a pillow, trying to see if perhaps   
his rival was hiding Usagi there. Not finding her, he turned his   
attentions once more to Mamoru, moving closer until he was only inches   
from the Prince's face.   
  
I want Usagi, the blue eyes glared reproachfully at him, where is she?  
  
Without quite knowing why, Mamoru reached out and stroked Moochi's   
head, letting his hand run down the rabbit's back. "I want her too,"   
he said. "Setsuna said she's alive wherever she is. I have to   
believe that."   
  
It was oddly comforting for Mamoru to talk to the creature. Moochi   
settled down next to him. The tiny nose twitched as he picked up   
lingering traces of Usagi's scent on the Prince. It would have to do  
for now.  
  
"I'll find her, I promise," Mamoru said more to himself than the   
rabbit. "Wherever she is, I'll find her."  
  
***************************************  
  
Next – Usagi is lost and alone in Tokyo of the past. Two sets of   
travelers are looking for her, but who will find her first? Mamoru   
learns more about the Sons of the Golden Kingdom, while Goruden   
Kobushi learns the uncomfortable lesson that "history" can be a   
matter of perspective. All this and Sailor Pluto explains why time  
travel is like "Star Wars". Be here in three weeks for chapter two. 


	3. Chapter Two

Many and humble thanks go out to Donnar-I for her skills as a beta-  
reader and for taking time out of her incredibly busy day to look   
this chapter over for me. She has a keen eye and an even keener wit!   
Be nice to your editors, people. They're the ones who keep you from   
making a total fool yourself in public.  
  
Oh my public gratitude goes to Aniah, who pointed out that it's   
spelled "Jakozuishou", not "Jakozusho", as I referred to it in   
chapter one. She was right and I was wrong!   
  
Standard Disclaimer – I don't own Sailor Moon or Star Wars, nor any   
of the attendant characters to which valid copyright laws apply.   
They are used here with out any expectations of reward beyond a few  
e-mails. The Sons of the Golden Kingdom are the creation of my   
warped and twisted little mind, though.  
  
Please write to me at Mearari@aol.com and let me know if you're   
reading my work. The only "payment" any fanfics author ever gets is  
in mail. As Yoda might say, "Write to her, you should! Grateful she  
will be!"  
  
  
************************  
  
"The Quest"  
  
By Meara  
  
Chapter Two   
  
"Without a deep and true love, you cannot over come the obstacles   
that you face." Neo-King Endymion, episode 83  
  
************************  
  
She was alone; utterly, totally and agonizingly alone. Confused and   
lost, Usagi sat on the bench located in a quiet corner of the Juban   
park. Her legs were tucked up under the long, white gown she wore.   
The dress had seen better days and it was torn in places, testament   
to the struggles she'd been through to get to here.   
  
She was shivering as the autumn night came on, the shock at the   
traumatic way her rapport with Mamoru was severed and the cold wind   
taking its toll on her. The full moon caught and held her attention.  
The soft silver light was the only thing that seemed to help make the   
pain, the agony of being alone, bearable. Lost in her own little   
world, all Usagi could do was wrap her arms around herself and   
continue gazing at the moon in an attempt to find some kind of comfort.   
  
With the falling of night, the foot traffic in this corner of Juban   
Park dwindled away quickly. Save for the occasional jogger, there   
seemed to be no one to disturb her melancholy. So Usagi sat under   
the light of the full moon attempting every now and then to figure out  
where she was and more importantly, who she was. There were so many   
voices in her head and they all called her by different names. The   
voices only served to remind her that she was alone, so Usagi kept   
trying to shut them out. Curled up on the bench she looked lost and  
vulnerable, like a little girl who didn't know the way home.   
  
And in a city the size of Tokyo, there are those who prey on lost  
children.  
  
***************************************  
  
  
The nights sleep had been a restless one for Mamoru. He'd been   
haunted by the image of Usagi calling for him. The trauma of the   
ruptured rapport had almost killed him, Mamoru knew. If not for the   
timely intervention of Helios, he could very well have died. Setsuna,  
he knew, was doing her best to find Usagi and he had to be patient.   
Mamoru's mind was too eager to conjure up the worst case scenario and   
that only made the waiting all the harder. With discipline he turned his attention to Goruden Kobushi.   
  
The handsome young man with the golden eyes was proudly recounting   
the storied history of his people. It was still hard for Mamoru to   
get his mind around the idea that these so-called "Sons of the Golden  
Kingdom", had spent a thousand years waiting for him to be reborn.   
Their misguided idea that the Moon Kingdom was the font of all known   
evil was only slightly harder to stomach than the fact that Endymion   
had been all but deified by the Sons. They were going to be very   
disappointed to find out that he was as imperfectly human as the next   
man.  
  
"The sacred texts were passed down from father to son in an unbroken   
line for a thousand years. We'd always thought that we'd kept our   
knowledge of the past perfect and unchanged. But," Goruden glanced   
at Helios, "it seems we got a few things wrong. Our stories say that  
Beryl was chosen by the angel Metallia to lead a crusade against the  
evil of the Moon Kingdom."  
  
Helios sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "That's not quite the  
way it happened." The young guardian could hear Haruka behind him,   
snorting derisively.  
  
"Metallia, now there was real evil. Your 'angel' was a demon whose   
major joy was snuffing out anything that lived. As for Beryl,"   
Haruka put in sarcastically. "Her main motivation was to get her   
claws into Endymion's mind and her hands on his princely body."  
  
"And power," Michiru added, watching Mamoru blush at the comment.   
"She also wanted to rule the world. You know, I've noticed that all   
of these insane megalomaniacs want to start at the top. They might   
have more success if they started smaller, say ruling Luxemburg first,  
then working their way up to taking over the world."  
  
The two Outers Senshi were enjoying this way too much, Mamoru   
decided. "Tell me more about this 'Circle of The Chosen', Kobushi."  
  
Happy to move on, Goruden smiled at his Prince. "The legends say that  
some of us are descended from the Princes of the Golden Kingdom.   
Those of us within the Circle of The Chosen are all channelers to one  
degree or another. When the Golden Crystal reappeared, one of us was  
supposed to be able to use the power and restore the Kingdom." He   
glanced at Helios who sighed yet again. "I guess that's not right,   
either, is it?"  
  
"Yes and no," Helios was looking at Goruden, an embarrassed smile   
creeping across his face. "Endymion was the only child of the King   
and Queen. The King did, however, have a cousin who was…" he paused  
trying to find a way to say it diplomatically. "…A very loving man."  
  
Nearly exploding with laughter, Haruka let only a short, cynical bark   
of it out. "This is too good. The Sons really are a bunch of   
bastards."  
  
A stern look from Mamoru made Haruka rein in her amusement. "Would   
you mind telling me about the stories of why you had to leave Elysion  
again? I want to go over a few points of it with you," Mamoru said.  
  
Poor Goruden looked astonished and embarrassed by turns. All his life  
he'd waited and prayed to be able to find, then serve Endymion, the   
True Prince of Earth. He'd found the man, but now Kobushi felt like   
a fool as one by one, the stories the Sons held as truth were pulled   
apart. "Of course, but why bother? It's becoming painfully apparent   
that our grand and glorious history is nothing more than a collection   
of distortions and myths."  
  
"Most of the stories the Sons hold dear are true – to a point."   
Mamoru replied reasonably. "It's the little facts that have been   
lost or changed that make all the difference. We need to find a way   
to let the Sons know that. Unless those misguided ideas are corrected,  
they'll never be able to live along side the reborn citizens of the   
Moon Kingdom."  
  
Helios nodded in agreement. "Fear and envy, that's what really   
started the war between the Earth and the Moon. That blind hatred   
led to the downfall of two kingdoms. Unless that can be corrected,   
the war from our past will continue in the future."   
  
"The sins of the father…" Michiru quoted softly  
  
"Exactly." The Earth beneath Mamoru's feet hummed, but not   
unpleasantly. He could sense the energies of the Timegate being used.   
He hoped that it meant that Setsuna was making progress. "We have to   
make sure that the errors of the past don't have the chance to destroy  
the future.   
  
***************************************  
  
A single feather, so dazzlingly white it was almost silver, was in   
his hand. Demando considered it carefully, letting a finger run up   
and down the shaft, enjoying the feel of the soft, downy tufts. The   
thought of the woman it had come from made the White Prince smile.   
The memory of that woman, shining with a power that called to him,   
burned as brightly as the stone between her hands had. Demando had   
his suspicions about who she might be, based on the stories that he'd  
heard over and over since he was an infant. If he was right, then   
the Angel in the light held a power that might even rival that of the Jakozuishou. The thought of what he could do with that kind of power  
was quite pleasing.   
  
Demando was aware of the two men who fidgeted nervously before him.   
With Crimson Rubeus standing in back of them, and the White Prince   
before them, the two had plenty to be worried about. Demando let   
them kneel there for a long moment before deigning to speak. He   
needed information and the White Prince had found that fear was an  
excellent tool in cases like these.  
  
"I require answers." Demando didn't bother to look at the two men.   
He continued to idly play with the feather. "We can do this the easy  
way or the hard way. The easy way is that you tell me exactly what I   
wish to know now. The hard way is that I let Rubeus have you for a   
while first. You'll still tell me what I wish to know, but it could   
be days before you're recovered enough to speak and, frankly, I don't  
want to wait that long. So what will it be?"  
  
Dirk licked his very dry lips and glanced over his shoulder at Rubeus.  
The feral smile on the lips of Crimson Rubeus plainly said that he was  
hoping that Dirk would pick the hard way. "It's always been my policy  
to try to be helpful whenever possible, your Highness." Especially,   
Dirk thought, when you're facing the possibility of torture by nasty   
boyos like that guy with the red hair.  
  
"The woman who was traveling with you, who is she?" the purple eyes   
were hard as amethysts.   
  
"Woman?" Dirk stuttered the reply. "What woman?"  
  
Shaking his head, Demando gave an inarticulate sigh. He toyed idly   
with the feather in his hand, gesturing with it as he spoke. "The one  
with the golden hair and crescent moon on her forehead, of course.   
Don't try to deny that you know her. I've seen her."  
  
Rory was still suffering the after effects of the power overload. He  
seemed a little drunk and definitely not aware of just how precarious  
their situation was. He smiled up at the White Prince.  
  
"Oh, you must mean the sleeping Princess. Well, what do you know? I   
did wake her." Rory stopped and gave a sound of annoyance. "And I   
never got to ask her to grant my wish. The stories all say that if   
you woke the Princess then she'd grant you one wish. This doesn't   
seem fair at all. We went to all that trouble and I never even got   
my wish."  
  
The color had drained from Dirk's lean face. He used his elbow to hit  
his brother in the ribs. "His Highness doesn't want to hear about   
that fairy-tale, you idiot," he hissed.   
  
Leaning back on his ornate throne, the White Prince raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh, but on the contrary, I would very much like to hear the story.   
Now, tell me all about this sleeping Princess."  
  
***************************************  
  
It was a sight to inspire awe and fear. Setsuna held her Gate open,   
the winds of time caressing her lithe body. The rainbow light from   
the portal haloed her, making Pluto look so much more than human as   
she sifted through what had been and what might be. The energy trail   
left by the Ginzuishou was distinct, but hard to follow the further it  
went. The task, under the best of circumstances, would have been   
difficult.   
  
"Have you found her yet?"  
  
And Luna was not making it any easier, Setsuna decided. "No," Pluto  
replied, trying to concentrate on the job at hand. She didn't bother  
to open her eyes, just kept trying to follow the trail the Ginzuishou  
had left.   
  
"Well, when do you think you will find Usagi?" Luna replied in a   
tone that suggested she was being very reasonable.   
  
"Luna…" Artemis began, mortified that she was asking that question   
for the fifth time in less than an hour. "Pluto is doing the best   
she can."  
  
The black cat shot her snowy partner a withering look that clearly   
told him to butt out. "And there's something I've been meaning to   
ask you. When Earth went into suspension, why did you bother to   
sleep with us? Couldn't you have just gone to the future and been   
here waiting for Uranus and Neptune?"  
  
There was a tug at her through the tides of time that was the fourth  
dimension. The harmonic resonance signature was very familiar to   
Setsuna. "No. There are too many possible futures to even try to   
attempt that. If you'll remember correctly, it was only when Small   
Lady was there to guide you that you were able to go to Crystal Tokyo.  
Our future is her present. Besides, since the Timegate is bonded to   
me, the best way to keep it safe was for me to go into suspension.   
If I'm not there to activate it, it can't be misused now can it?"  
  
"I guess not…" Luna still sounded unconvinced. Perhaps this was why   
time travel was forbidden. Trying to make sense of it all made Luna   
feel as if her head could explode. "Why do I still have the feeling  
that there are things you're not telling us?"  
  
It was the Ginzuishou, all right, Setsuna decided. Her head tilted   
at an odd angle while she tested the psychic "feel" of the energy.   
Something was…different…about the trail it left. "Is this how you   
get Usagi to do what you want, nag at her?"  
  
Ebony ears flattened against the feline head. "I do not nag!" Luna  
sounded outraged. "I'm just persistent."  
  
The energy scattered in an odd direction, doubling back on itself.   
Pluto almost concluded that this was just another echo from a   
possible timeline, when at last the sweet, silver song that was the   
power of the Ginzuishou moved in a straight and true line – to the   
past. Although this was what she'd been working so hard towards,   
Setsuna sighed. A raised hand brought her staff to her and let it  
float for an instant before grasping it firmly. The garnet orb in   
the crown of the staff glowed brightly when Pluto accessed her   
talisman.  
  
"It's Usagi," Setsuna said with a nod at the orb. She glanced   
briefly at Luna. "You do, of course, realize that my finding Usagi   
right after you asked about her is just a coincidence?"  
  
There was a smug smile on the cat's face. "Of course," she replied,   
not managing to keep the satisfaction out of her voice. Her tail   
flagged straight over her back as Luna moved off. No matter what   
Setsuna said, the cat was quite sure that her "persistence" had   
gotten her what she wanted once more.   
  
"I'll just let Mamoru and the others know."  
  
***************************************  
  
Although she was shivering in the cool night air, Usagi's mind was   
divorced enough from her body that she couldn't feel it very much.   
She sat, as in a dream, and simply let the world pass her by. The   
moon was full and heavy above the Tokyo skyline. Usagi found that as   
long as she continued to stare at it, nothing else seemed to matter.   
She let herself be wrapped inside the comfort of the pale moonlight,  
basking in the soft, silver glow. Here she was able to hide from   
the physical pain her body was in and, more importantly, from the   
crushing loneliness.   
  
The cold suddenly returned in force, piercing her skin with icy   
needles. She whimpered slightly, confused and frightened by the  
unexpected sensations. Usagi blinked, trying to force her mind to   
make sense of what was happening to her. It took several long   
moments, but at last she realized that the moonlight was being   
blocked by two men.   
  
"Hello, pretty lady," one of them said. He gave Usagi a malicious  
smile and reached out for her. "Are you all alone?"  
  
***************************************  
  
"Saffir-chan, you are a genius," Demando smiled broadly at the   
open portal.   
  
"That may be true enough," Saffir pushed a strand of raven hair from  
in front of his eyes. "But I had very little to do with this."  
  
"Don't sell yourself short, little brother. You managed to not only  
get the machine up and running, but you've found my Angel." Demando's  
mind was all ready running at full speed, making plans.  
  
An unhappy snort came from Saffir. "All I did was replace a couple   
of fried components. That woman, the one who nearly blew you, me and  
the workshop to bits is there all right," he gestured to the park on   
the other side of the doorway, "but I didn't have to go looking for   
her location. This machine has somehow locked onto the energy she   
produces. I'm not sure we could go anywhere else but where she is."   
  
The smile on the face of the White Prince became sly, "Yes, but once  
I control that power, we can go anywhere we choose to. Come on," he  
started to move for the glowing portal.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Saffir grabbed Demando by the arm. "How do we know   
it's safe? I've never tried to move anything living through this   
thing. You should let me run a few tests before you try going   
through it."  
  
Demando glanced around, his gaze coming to rest on a cage that   
contained several, small rodents. He reached out and with a quick   
flip opened the door and grabbed one the squealing creatures. Before   
Saffir had time to do little more than wonder what his brother was   
doing, the White Prince casually tossed the lab rat through the   
glowing doorway. Within seconds it appeared on the other side,   
falling to the wet grass with an outraged squeak.   
  
"It works just fine. Now come on," Demando walked into the glowing  
doorway.   
  
"Demando, wait!" Saffir was both frantic and angry at the same time.  
Demando was much too impetuous for his own good. "Veniti, Aquatiki,"  
he called out.   
  
Two droids, creatures that like the proto-gate were a mixture of   
magic and mechanics, appeared at his summons. "Yes, Lord Saffir?"  
  
"Follow," Saffir grabbed the small control box and clipped it onto   
his belt and he, too, disappeared into the portal. There was the   
strange sensation of falling for a moment before Saffir was spilled   
out of the portal and onto the ground. The two droids were right   
behind him, but Saffir barely noticed them. On his hands and knees,   
he could only stare in wonder at the green grass beneath him. He   
took a single, deep breath, savoring the lush, earthy scent all   
around him.  
  
"Amazing, isn't it?" Demando asked, a few feet away from his brother.   
The White Prince was running his hands gently over the bark of a   
large tree. The canopy of the old maple had finished its autumnal   
change and a few of the flame colored leaves fell from it. Demando  
caught one in his hand, smiling with child-like wonder.  
  
Demando sighed and looked around the park, "So, this is earth. Could  
this be Crystal Tokyo? It's not at all as Mother used to describe it.  
Where's the shining palace, the floating gardens, the happy sheep-like population?"  
  
"This is Earth. That much I'm very sure of, but this could be another   
city. Saffir had a single blade of grass between his fingers and he   
studied it carefully. "This is incredible. It's so alive here, so   
vibrant." He looked around him, almost in shock at the baffling array  
of sights and scents. "I never dreamed that it could be like this."  
  
After a life time of living on the sparse and barren moon of Nemesis,   
the simple beauty of Juban Park was overwhelming. "We'll live here   
again, Saffir, I promise. Our parents were driven into exile from   
this beautiful planet but we will take it back. The key to that is   
learning the secrets of this travel device. Once we've done that I   
can lead the Black Moon Clan on its great quest. I will take the   
birthright that Endymion stole from me and do to him what he did to   
us." Demando looked once more at the pastoral beauty of the garden.  
"I'll take everything he has and leave him with nothing."  
  
***************************************  
  
The portal to the Timegate had been summoned, but the great double   
doors were closed. Pluto stood in front of them, her staff in hand.  
For over a thousand years Setsuna had kept the Timegate a closely   
guarded secret. Now she was preparing to lead a band of four people   
through it. The idea of having so many random elements mucking around  
in the past didn't sit all that well with her.   
  
If one lesson had come out of their struggle with Kunshin Tetsu, it   
was that no one, not even Setsuna, really knew what all the   
ramifications of introducing new temporal elements into the time-  
stream could mean. It might be that the future could be changed by   
the smallest action. It might also be that nothing could change the  
future short of killing one of the major players.   
  
"Time travel is like 'the Force' from Star Wars," Setsuna started out,  
trying to simplify the possible problems. "It's big, powerful and has  
the potential to change the course of destiny. Best of all, no one   
really understands all of it. This is why adventures in the past have  
always been frowned upon."   
  
Haruka smiled. "Adventure, excitement; a Jedi craves these things   
not," she said in her best Yoda voice.   
  
Pluto raised an eyebrow at Uranus while she continued. "We want to   
find Usagi and get her back here with as little disruption as   
possible."  
  
"Do you know where, or rather, when Usagi is?" Mamoru asked, eyeing  
the Gate. Waiting was something he had never done particularly well.   
  
Pluto nodded slowly. She had the unhappy feeling that she was about   
to make Mamoru's day even worse. "Yes. Usagi seems to be back in   
the days when the Black Moon Family was active in the past."  
  
"Oh dear," Luna sighed.  
  
"Demando," Mamoru said softly. Usagi was in the past, most likely   
hurt, and so were the forces of the man who had kidnapped and then   
tried to force himself on her. He wondered how much worse things   
could possibly get.  
  
Even though the portal had not been fully opened, Artemis could   
sense it's power and he looked at it while he spoke. "If the way   
Mamoru reacted to the shattered rapport is any indication, then Usagi  
could be anything from comatose to combative. When you do locate her,  
it's extremely important that you do nothing to startle or frighten   
her."  
  
"Most of the time, using the power you all hold as Senshi requires concentration, but Usagi's power derives from the Ginzuishou," Luna's   
tail was twitching back and forth in nervous agitation.  
  
Mamoru saw where this was going. "The Silver Crystal reacts as much   
to what's in Usako's heart as what's in her mind."  
  
Artemis nodded, letting his tail run down Luna's back in a gesture   
of comfort. "Exactly. If Usagi feels threatened, then it's possible   
that she'll lash out with the Ginzuishou. So try to find her quietly   
and for the love of Selene, try to avoid a confrontation with the   
Black Moon Clan that could provoke Usagi into action."  
  
"The one word I want all of you to remember," she favored Haruka with  
a direct look, "is 'subtle'. While Tuxedo Kamen looks almost the same  
as he did back then…"  
  
"The Outer Senshi haven't arrived in Tokyo yet," Neptune finished.   
"If we have to fight them won't these creatures realize that we're   
not the same Sailor Soldiers they've faced before?"  
  
"That's the whole idea of 'subtle'. We don't henshin unless there   
are no other options." Pluto said.   
  
Luna stepped up beside Pluto. "Prince Demando and his associates   
were clever enough, but the droids collectively tended to be dumber   
than a sack of door knobs. It's more than likely that they wouldn't   
be able to tell one Senshi from another, anyway."   
  
"It's not them we have to worry about," Mamoru said. "The only real  
problem will be if we encounter Prince Demando. He's a formidable   
opponent," And Mamoru though to himself, he's obsessed with getting   
his hands on Usako. Mamoru's fist clenched and unclenched at his   
side. Compulsive, driven foes, he had learned, were the most   
unpredictable and the most dangerous.   
  
Giving a nod, Pluto raised her staff and the great double doors   
began to open. "Let's not borrow trouble, ne? With any luck Usagi   
is somewhere nice, quiet and very far away from the eyes of the Black  
Moon."  
  
***************************************  
  
Usagi could only stare, utterly bewildered, at the man who hauled her  
roughly to her feet. He had a hand locked tightly over her wrist and  
the pain it caused cut through the haze she was in. Usagi looked down  
at her wrist, then up at the man who held her. He grabbed her other   
arm.  
  
"Look, pearls; she's wearing real pearls," he said, ripping the  
bracelet off Usagi.   
  
The hand clamped on her arm hurt, the pain increasing sharply as he   
twisted it, pulling Usagi closer to him. Usagi whimpered in pain and  
growing fear. The man only laughed. "You shouldn't be out all alone  
at this time of night. Don't you know what can happen to pretty,   
little things like you?   
  
"She's got more of them in her hair!" the other man said. "Get   
them."  
  
The man holding her reached for the pearls in her golden hair, but   
Usagi shook her head back and forth, not wanting him to touch her.   
"N…no…" she moaned, beginning to struggle harder. "No!"  
  
A hand was clamped over her mouth, "Shut up! Just shut up and you   
won't get hurt!"  
  
The hand clamped onto her throat, trying to force Usagi to keep her   
head still. The feeling of it, cold and hard, made her struggle all   
the more. Images and jumbled memories exploded in her mind. She   
remembered the sensation of a cold hand locked on her throat while   
her life energy was ripped from her. And the pain… She could   
suddenly remember the terrible, searing pain that went with the cold   
hand. Usagi stiffened, her eyes going wide with a fear that made her  
blood run cold. The words tore from her in an anguished scream.  
  
"LET ME GO!"  
  
Light, so blindingly pure that for a moment it washed out everyone   
and everything else in the immediate area burst from Usagi. The man   
who held her and his partner in crime were caught up in it. The two   
were lifted into the air by the mystic wildfire and tossed around   
like leaves in a gale. They were punted roughly away, landing in the   
small ornamental pond with a splash that sent water in all directions.  
Sodden and bedecked in the lilies that grew there, the two floundered   
their way to the shore and ran as if they were being pursued by the   
devil himself.   
  
At the very edges of the eldritch inferno, Demando stood. He could  
feel the part of him that was linked to the Black Poison Crystal   
awaken as a small part of the Ginzuishou's power touched him. The   
dark energies absorbed the bright power, consuming and channeling it   
into itself.   
  
"Magnificent," he murmured, enjoying the display of raw power that   
Usagi was putting on.   
  
Usagi was keening out her anguish and pain. The terrible ache of loss  
cutting her anew, she went to her knees. The light that haloed Usagi   
crested and pulled back into her body. For an instant there was the   
ghostly suggestion of great wings of silver fire that cupped her body,   
as if to shield her from the cruelty of the cold and lonely world   
around her. The light dwindled away as did Usagi's screams of fear   
and pain. She wrapped her arms around herself with a whimper, lost   
once more in her own world of misery.   
  
The White Prince took a step to go to her, when he felt Saffir's arm   
on his. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea," the blue eyes were   
locked on the shivering form of the woman in the white dress.   
"Something's wrong with that woman. Look at her eyes. It's like   
she's sleep walking or," he added with growing apprehension, "as if   
she's been through a war."  
  
A confident smile came to Demando's lips. The pleasure from   
absorbing the silver crystal's power still echoing inside him. "If   
she's been in some kind of struggle, then she'll welcome my help, ne?"  
He pushed away both his brother's concerns and his restraining arm.   
Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."  
  
Saffir knew the look on Demando's face. That supreme confidence was  
going to get him seriously hurt some day. "Be careful! And for   
crystal's sake, don't frighten her," he hissed a last warning.   
  
Taking measured steps, Demando moved into Usagi's line of sight. He  
could see that her dress was torn in places, her whole body posture  
that of someone who'd been through a terrible ordeal. Almost against  
his will, Demando felt a surge of compassion for her. Who could   
treat such a beautiful woman so badly as to leave her like this? She  
was crying now, trembling with cold and shock. Getting within a few  
feet of her, Demando went to one knee,  
  
"Hello, Angel," he said softly to catch her attention. He slowly   
reached up and removed his cape. "You look cold. Here," he said,   
slipping it around her shoulder, "let me help you."  
  
Whether it was the sound of his voice or the feeling of the  
unexpectedly soft and warm fabric against her skin, Usagi looked up.   
She blinked owlishly, tears still running down her face. There seemed  
to be a flicker of recognition in the crystal blue eyes for an instant  
before she withdrew back into herself and away from the pain memory   
brought.   
  
"Alone, alone, alone" Usagi whimpered, drawing the edges of the cape  
closed around herself. "Hurts so bad…"  
  
"It's all right. I'll make sure they can't hurt you anymore," the   
White Prince stood up and held out a hand to Usagi. She looked at it  
and then up at Demando. "Come with me, Angel. Let me take you some  
place where you can rest, ne?"  
  
***************************************  
  
True to her word, Setsuna opened the portal in the corner of Juban   
park that was least likely to attract any attention. The light from   
the Gate died quickly away, leaving the four people to assess where   
they were. In the distance were the sounds of traffic and the   
occasional siren.   
  
"Tokyo. God, but I've missed this city," Haruka took a deep breath,  
smiling broadly. "There was no other place on Earth quite like it."  
  
"I'll second that," Michiru watched as two figures ran at full speed   
by them. The men were soaking wet and strewn with aquatic vegetation,  
their shoes making a damp squish as they passed.   
  
"This is a big park," Mamoru said. There was the oddest feeling in   
the back of his mind. He pushed it aside, thinking it was nothing more  
than his own nervousness. "Why don't we split up into two teams?   
Setsuna, you're with me."  
  
"That makes sense," the woman with the long, green hair agreed. She  
looked at Michiru and Haruka. "Remember what I said about being subtle.  
Try to keep a low profile and let us know right away if you find Usagi."  
  
She hadn't even finished the sentence, when Mamoru suddenly took a deep,  
gasping breath. He staggered, his hands going to his head in pain.   
Above the tree line in back of the four, silver light reached for the   
night sky, in a brief, but memorable display.   
  
Haruka looked up at the column of silver fire in the night sky. "I  
think I found Usagi."  
  
"Usako," Mamoru moaned. Her fear and pain hit him like a sledge   
hammer and he began to transform before the light died away. "She's   
in trouble!" Instinct took over and Tuxedo Kamen bounded off into   
the darkness of the park.  
  
"Mamoru-san, wait!" Setsuna called out after him.   
  
Michiru had her henshin wand in hand. "So much for the subtle   
approach."  
  
Uranus also had her wand out and Setsuna reluctantly called up her   
own. She could feel her back teeth grinding together in frustration   
and allowed herself a moment to wallow in it before transforming.   
The words weren't what she usually said just before Sailor Pluto   
arrived, but they summed up her feelings quite well for all their   
brevity.  
  
"Oh, pooh…"  
  
***************************************  
  
Usagi looked up at the hand that was offered to her and then up at  
the handsome man with the silver hair. Her eyes were looking at the  
black crescent moon on his brow. Usagi blinked, confused but drawn   
to the sigil.   
  
"Black Moon?" she mumbled.  
  
"So, you know the name we go by now?" Demando gave a low laugh.   
"That's fair enough, I suppose, since I think I know who you really  
are. Don't worry, Serenity, everything is going to be all right once  
you come with me."  
  
Saffir was standing only yards away and he gasped when he heard   
Demando speak the name. "Serenity?" His clever mind turned over   
rapidly, taking in the woman's golden hair and, as Usagi lifted her   
eyes to look at the White Prince, Saffir saw the crescent moon that   
adorned her forehead. "Wait a minute. You think that this woman is…"  
  
Demando gave a curt wave at Saffir to silence him. He continued to   
speak in a gentle, soothing voice. "You don't have to be afraid or   
alone anymore. I'm not going to hurt you," Demando sighed unhappily   
at the fear he saw in her eyes. Come with me Angel, I'll take care   
of you," he held out his hand once more.  
  
The moment of lucidity faded quickly and Usagi once again retreated   
into herself. She gave a single low moan, "Alone…" and rocked back   
and forth like a child.   
  
Demando gave a sigh, trying to catch her interest once more. After  
a moment, he shook his head and reached for the woman in the white   
gown. Just before the White Prince touched Usagi, a blur of motion   
crossed his field of vision. Something sharp sliced into the back   
of his hand and he pulled it back with a hiss of surprise and pain.   
There, impaled into the ground by a long stem was a single, white   
rose.  
  
"Demando, we have company," Saffir said in a voice that reflected the  
unpleasant surprise he was feeling.   
  
Standing at the place where the trees melted away into the meadow was  
Tuxedo Kamen, another rose in his hand, ready to thrown. "Get away   
from her," Mamoru growled. "Get away from her, now."  
  
Not a man to be easily intimidated, the White Prince snorted at   
Mamoru with disdain. "I give orders. I don't take them and certainly  
not from you. Veniti, Aquatiki, remove this fool from my sight."   
  
The two droids appeared out of thin air and leapt to do as they were   
bid. Hands morphed into claws as they launched themselves at Mamoru   
with a shriek. They never got within ten feet of him.  
  
"World Shaking!"  
  
"Deep Submerge!"  
  
"Dead Scream!"  
  
The three attacks merged into a single force. It plowed into the   
twin constructs, reducing them to dust in a burst of light. Even   
before that dust was carried away on the night breeze, the three   
Outer Senshi lined up on either side of Tuxedo Kamen.  
  
"Invited by the new age," Uranus began, "I am Sailor…"  
  
"Senshi!" Pluto hurriedly shouted. "We are Sailor Senshi and a   
force," she leaned on the word in an effort to get Uranus to remember   
her time-is-like-Star-Wars speech, "to be reckoned with."  
  
Demando let a surge of energy from the Black Poison Crystal run along  
his body in his own display of power. "As impressed as you are with   
yourselves, I seriously doubt if any of you could pose a real threat   
to me."  
  
Unable to resist the urge, Haruka grinned wolfishly. "I find your   
lack of faith disturbing."  
  
"We have to retreat," Saffir's soft voice came to the ears of the   
White Prince. "There are four of them and two of us. If those are  
Senshi, if the stories we've heard are true, we're not prepared right   
now to deal with the kind of power they can unleash. We have to   
retreat." He could see Demando chafing at the truth of his words.   
"There will be other days and other battles."  
  
Unable to deny the wisdom in Saffir's words, the White Prince   
couldn't go without a final gesture. Keeping his gaze on Mamoru,   
Demando let a hand reach out of stroke Usagi's cheek. "Keep the   
cloak for now, Angel. I'll get it from you another time."  
  
The two princes stared at each other for a long and very uncomfortable  
moment. Finally, turning his back on Mamoru in a gesture of contempt,  
Demando started to walk away. Saffir joined him and the two melted   
into the night.   
  
Mamoru resisted the urge to run for Usagi, remembering Luna's warning  
about startling her. He slowly walked towards where Usagi was   
kneeling on the ground and removing the white domino mask, went down   
on one knee. Rocking back and forth, Usagi clutched at the cape,   
keeping it tightly pulled around her body as if it could shelter her   
from the pain that was eating her alive.   
  
Gently, slowly, Mamoru's hand cupped Usagi's cheek. The touch let   
some of what she was feeling flood into him and Mamoru gasped. Usagi  
was broken inside. The rapport shared to heal the planet, once a   
source of strength and joy, was now a bottomless canyon of jagged   
crystal that cut at her each time she tried to climb out of it.   
  
"Oh no, Usako," he whispered. She was retreating further and further  
into herself with each passing minute. The desperate, instinctive   
need to run from what was hurt her was pushing Usagi into a catatonic  
state. "Don't do this. Come back to me, please come back to me."   
  
A thought opened his link to the Golden Crystal and Mamoru leaned   
forward, gently letting it flow into her while he murmured her name   
over and over. The magic that lived in Usagi reacted to the warm,   
sweet power of Earth. A subtle glow encased the two, small golden and  
silver stars appeared first where Mamoru touched Usagi, then spreading  
to cover them in a shimmering veil.   
  
"Mamo-chan?" she whispered weakly. The cape, clutched so tightly, now  
slipped from her grasp, falling to the ground.   
  
He held her tightly, "I'm here now, Usako. I'm here and everything's   
going to be all right."  
  
"Mamo-chan!" She sobbed his name in a whisper. Usagi fell against   
Mamoru, the pain at last fading away in his embrace. Crystal blue eyes  
closed in relief, the joy of being whole once more filling her.   
  
The light that suffused the two pulsed brighter as they melted into each  
other's arms. The three Outer Senshi watched in awe as the wave of magic engulfed them for an instant. It crested, bursting apart into a joyous   
fall of mystic stardust.  
  
"It's so beautiful," Michiru whispered, reaching for her Lifemate's   
hand.   
  
Beside them, Pluto's eyes went wide as the light faded enough for   
Mamoru and Usagi to be visible again. "Look!"  
  
Mamoru was still dressed in the tuxedo, but it was no longer black.   
A cloak the soft lavender of the sky just before sunrise flared in the  
mystic winds that surrounded the two. Usagi's dress was still white,   
but the ornate decorations that had adorned her arms were gone. A   
flowing array of silk on her back gave the subtle impression of wings.   
  
"Well I'll be damned," Uranus had a large smile on her face. She went   
to one knee, Michiru and Setsuna following suit. Her talisman, the   
Space Sword came to her hand and she raised it in salute, the dancing  
magics causing rainbows to come from the blade. "All hail Serenity   
and Endymion – King and Queen of Earth!"  
  
The magic of the moment was not lost on any of those who watched; not  
the three Outer Senshi or the two who hid in the shadows. Although   
they were well away, sheltering in the place where the trees met the  
long, sloping lawns of the park, Demando and Saffir were able to see   
all that occurred.  
  
"Crystal," Saffir swore, glancing at his brother. "That's Endymion!   
You were right; that woman is Serenity. How did you know?"  
  
Arms folded across his chest, Demando's gaze was riveted on the King  
of Earth. "Considering who I am, how could I not? I always knew   
that destiny had something special planned for me, Saffir. Our   
Clan's dream, our great quest will be accomplished through me," he   
raised a hand clenching it into a fist. "We will reclaim the Earth   
for our people. We will take back what is ours by right and nothing   
will stop us."  
  
Demando let some of the hatred he felt power the ebony energies that  
sang inside him, ""I will have everything that Endymion possesses;   
his throne, his world, his very life." The White Prince's gaze was   
drawn to Usagi.  
  
"Everything."  
  
***************************************  
  
In three weeks – Ami is dazed, lost and wandering around Tokyo during  
the time that the Dark Kingdom was active – not a good combination!   
It seems that Naru isn't the only Youma magnet in the city. Saffir is on   
the verge of a discovery that will forever change the Black Moon Clan.   
All this and you get to find out why time travel is like "Star Trek"! 


	4. Chapter Three

While it's true that the posting of these chapters are spaced further  
apart, they're also a good deal larger. I could break it into two,   
much smaller sections and post them every two weeks, but I'd really   
prefer to be able to update once a month with a solid, well paced   
chapter. I know I'm neurotic, picky and somewhat compulsive about   
these stories, but if I'm going to ask you to send your precious free   
time on them, I owe it you to put out the best I'm capable of. I can  
only hope you agree.  
  
Many thanks to Donnar-I for taking the time to beta-read for me and  
for the very cute Tuxedo Kamen plushie that [I]mysteriously[/I]   
turned up on my doorstep. The woman is a wonder!  
  
Getting mail is the only form of "payment: we fanfics author ever   
get, so please feel free to drop me a line at Mearari@aol.com and let  
me know if you're enjoying my work.  
  
Standard Disclaimer: "Sailor Moon" was created by the talented and   
clever Naoko Takeuchi and the rights to it are owned by Toei, Bandai  
and plethora of incredibly huge international corporations. I am   
grateful that Takeuchi-san allows us to play in the universe she   
created and I have no expectations of fiscal reward from this fanfic.  
Please don't sue me. I don't have anything worth taking – really!  
  
***************************************  
  
"The Quest"  
  
By Meara  
  
Chapter Three   
  
***************************************  
  
  
"Only when the nine soldiers act as one can the Seal be broken,"   
Usagi said, puzzled. "So just what's that supposed to mean, anyway?"  
  
Mamoru and Usagi snuggled in the large bed. The comfort of being  
together was helping to heal the worst of the psychic damage from the   
shattered rapport. It was becoming more and more apparent to Mamoru   
that while his memory was returning fast, Usagi's still had some   
gaping holes in it. She'd been shocked to discover that Earth was   
locked in the spell of crystal sleep. Her last, clear memory was the resurrection of the Moon Castle and the sad but necessary break from   
Earth. After that everything was a jumbled mixture of names, faces   
and events.  
  
Mamoru played with a few strands of her golden hair. He wondered how  
long it would be before she remembered that her hair had been silver   
when the world had gone into suspension. "I don't know. At first I   
thought that it might mean that the Ginzuishou had been somehow sealed  
inside you again."  
  
Closing her eyes, Usagi placed a hand over her heart. A small star of  
silver light came to her calling. She cupped her hands and the stone   
settled between them, spinning in lazy circles.   
  
"That can't be it. I still seem to have access to the Ginzuishou."   
The sweet, healing song of power warmed Usagi inside. With a sigh   
she opened her hands and the crystal faded away once more. "I don't   
have to carry it around in a locket anymore, do I?" It was less a   
question than a statement.   
  
Mamoru smiled, letting a finger trace the outline of the crescent   
moon on her brow. "Once you became Queen you only used the locket   
once or twice. Most of the time it resides in the prayer room at the  
center of the castle."  
  
Usagi had a flash of memory. She could see Mamoru, dressed as Tuxedo  
Kamen and the two of them were walking through the palace together.   
"The prayer room… We transformed there once," she said, slowly at   
first. The memory became clearer and she propped herself up on one   
elbow to look at her husband. "Your hat is gone and you have this,"   
the tapped Mamoru just above the collarbone, "ornamental thingy on   
your bow-tie now!"  
  
The smile of satisfaction faded, a look of outrage quickly coming   
over her face. "You!" Usagi's hand snaked out and thumped Mamoru on  
the chest. "You went to Earth without me when I told you that we   
should go together! I don't remember why I wanted to go, but you   
should have listened to me!"  
  
She was so cute that Mamoru had to laugh. "You were right and I was  
wrong. There, do you feel better now?"  
  
"It'll do for now," she settled back into her beloved's arms. "This  
not being able to remember things is a huge pain. I keep getting   
little bits and pieces of images that don't make a lot of sense. Was  
it really Prince Demando standing over me or was that another dream?"  
Usagi asked hesitantly.   
  
"Oh, it was Demando, all right," Mamoru was unlikely to ever forget   
the man who had kidnapped Usagi.   
  
"You shouldn't say his name like that, Mamo-chan. He wasn't really   
  
evil, you know," Usagi cocked her head at Mamoru, a sad smile at the   
memory of the White Prince coming to her lips. "Demando died to save  
me from Wiseman. He saw that he'd been lied to at the end, that   
maybe it was possible for all of us to live in peace together."   
  
"If the future we saw is true, Usako, then I'm going to get a lot   
more practice saying his name." Mamoru had always wondered just how  
the White Prince had come to be so utterly and totally obsessed with   
Neo-Queen Serenity. To be honest, he was not looking forward to that  
part of the future.   
  
That idea made Mamoru wonder if it was possible to change the course   
of events. And if they could change the way the future unfolded, did  
they have the right to do so? A sigh from Usagi brought Mamoru back   
to the problems at hand.  
  
"The Earth can't have much of a future still locked in suspension, can  
it?" The future Pluto said that I have the power inside me to break   
the spell of crystal sleep, but we need all nine Senshi to break some  
kind of Seal. Rei, Minako, Ami and Mako are all missing. Hotaru…"   
Usagi paused, mourning in her voice. ""Hotaru died when she dropped   
the Silence Glaive on Death Phantom and the power of Saturn died with   
her. I don't know what to do, Mamo-chan. It's all such a mess!   
Maybe I should just go into the Balance and try to break the spell   
that way. I mean, it should be more than enough power, right?"   
  
"I don't think that's a good idea, Usako." Mamoru could remember   
Usagi transfigured by the ultimate magic of the White Moon Kingdom.   
He could also clearly remember the feeling of holding a dying Usagi,   
her life slipping away as she paid the lethal price for the power.   
"We should exhaust all other options before doing something that   
dangerous. Setsuna is working on finding the others. Let's give her  
a chance before we consider something as drastic as your going into   
the Balance."  
  
That comment made Usagi sigh and snuggle once again into the warmth   
and comfort of Mamoru's embrace. "I suppose after sleeping for a   
thousand years, another few days won't really matter. For once, I   
think time may actually be on our side."  
  
***************************************  
  
Ami walked alone in a city full of people. Dazed and reeling, Ami  
couldn't get her mind to work properly and that caused her no end of   
worry. The tide of humanity seemed to pull her along with it and Ami   
continued to walk among the crowd, not really caring where she was   
going. The throng stopped moving for a moment, waiting for the   
street light to allow them to cross safely. That pause allowed her   
to look at her reflection in the plate glass window of an upscale   
department store.   
  
Hair so black it looked blue in the afternoon light fell to the top   
of her shoulders and framed a face of delicate beauty. A tentative   
hand was raised to the reflection. Was this her face? A confusing   
blur of fragmented thoughts darted through her mind as she looked at  
the enchanting stranger in the glass. Although the cream colored,   
silk blouse she wore with the navy pants suited her well, Ami had a   
flash of another outfit. The image of herself in a sailor fuku only  
made the confusion in her mind worse.   
  
  
Closing her eyes in an attempt to concentrate, she felt a definite   
pull; an urgent impulse telling her that she needed to find water.   
Things would make more sense to her once she was near the cool, sweet  
water an inner voice told her. Her mind still in shock from the   
abrupt way she'd been forced out of suspension, the beautiful young   
woman couldn't fight the inner prompting. She let her feet guide her   
towards the ocean as the sun began to set.  
  
***************************************  
  
Power was everything for Demando. It ruled his past, shaped his   
present and fed his dreams of the future. The only truth that he had  
never doubted was that the one with the most power would control the  
most beautiful of worlds, Earth. Endymion had Earth, Demando had   
been raised to believe, only because the Neo-King had stolen the   
birth-right that belonged to him alone. It was Demando's destiny to  
have everything Endymion did, to take back the world of his ancestors  
and that required, of course, power.   
  
Demando understood power; loved it, craved it and cultivated it. It   
was the lure of power that had called the shivering and desperate   
exiles to Nemesis. It was his power as the first born and greatest   
of the gifted children of Nemesis that made Demando the undisputed   
ruler of the Black Moon Clan. It was the unbridled power of the   
Black Poison Crystal that would make him King of Earth. Until a few  
days ago, Demando had believed that there was nothing else in the   
universe that could possibly rival the ebony power of which he was   
master. Then the silver energies of the Ginzuishou touched the   
Prince of Nemesis and everything changed.   
  
Even from that briefest of contacts, Demando could sense the raw,   
primal energies that were contained within the crystal and the woman   
  
who was bonded to it. Most remarkable of all, was his reaction to   
it. The White Prince could feel the great power of Nemesis absorb   
the energy Serenity generated, feed on it and become even stronger.   
How much of the bright, shining energies could the Black Poison   
Crystal take into itself? The thought was a heady one for Demando.   
  
It was less so for Saffir. "So you're saying that the Black Poison  
Crystal can absorb the power Serenity controls?" He looked up from  
the calculations he was studying to eye his brother nervously.   
  
Demando had a sly smile on his face. "Recall what all our stories   
tell us, Saffir. Endymion went to great lengths to seduce and bind   
the Princess of the Moon Kingdom to his will. Why did he go to such  
lengths? To acquire not only the comely Princess of the Moon, but   
the power she wields, of course."  
  
Saffir was looking at the readings from the proto-gate once again.   
"He also set her up to take the blame for the fall of the Golden   
Kingdom and the slaughter of the Moon's people a millennium before.   
Endymion used her then and he's using her now. So what? The   
powerful always use the weak. It's the way of the universe."   
  
The eyes of the White Prince shone with both excitement and a growing  
avarice. "So it is. Endymion manipulates Serenity into doing what   
he wants. I can go him one better, though. I don't have to have her  
under an enchantment to make her into doing as I wish. Through my   
link with the Black Poison Crystal, I can take Serenity's power into  
myself and use it as I see fit."  
  
That made Saffir's head snap up with alarm. "I'm not so sure that's   
a good idea. It's the Jakozuishou that absorbs the bright energy   
Serenity produces, not you. You're acting as a channel to let that   
hunk of black rock feed."  
  
"I control the Jakozuishou, Saffir, it doesn't control me." Demando   
sounded annoyed by the implication.  
  
"If you say so, Onii-san," Saffir didn't seem convinced, but   
chastised he lowered his head to work on the proto-gate once more. "I  
need to run another test with the gate and I'd like to take the two   
aliens with me for it. It's just as well you didn't let Rubeus kill   
them outright. There's an anomalous reading I get that puzzles me   
and they may be the only ones with enough knowledge about this device  
to help me figure it all out."  
  
"Is something wrong with the machine?" Demando was truly concerned.   
A great deal of his plans now hinged on using the gate. If it proved  
to be unreliable…  
  
Saffir was staring down at the control panel and he tapped it with   
one finger as if to try and coax the answer he wanted from it. "No,  
no, it works all right." Saffir closed his eyes, rubbing them   
tiredly. "All my life, I've tinkered with the smashed control box   
that father brought with him during the exile, but I don't really   
have a complete understanding of the way the gate works. Until I do,  
using it could be risky."  
  
The White Prince sat down hard on a nearby chair. He began to tap   
his fingers on the arm, annoyed. "There are always risks in war,   
Saffir."  
  
While his brother would usually listen to his good advice, Saffir   
knew Demando well enough to realize that you sometimes had to give   
him at least part of what he wanted. "Wars are won by using a sound,  
well thought out strategy and strategies require information. If   
we're going to rely on this gate as a part of that plan, then I need  
to know everything about the way it operates."  
  
"I thought you said that the machine was following the energy   
signature of the bright power Serenity controls," Demando said.   
  
"It does," Saffir moved closer to his brother. Although the two   
appeared to be alone, Saffir was wise enough to know that there were  
very few places on Nemesis where it was safe to speak openly. "And   
that's part of what worries me. Wherever it is she disappears to has  
some sort of barrier or mystic ward that prevents my opening a portal  
there. Right now all we can do is wait for her to leave that   
protected place then follow where she goes. But if we can't learn to  
direct the gate to go where we want it to, our freedom from Nemesis   
will always be tied to Serenity and the power she controls."  
  
Demando may have been occasionally impulsive, but he was never stupid.  
"I understand how that could be a problem. See, I can be reasonable,   
Saffir-chan." Folding his arms across his chest, Demando struck a   
regal pose. "I've waited a lifetime to gain revenge on Endymion and   
the Earthers for the wrongs done to our ancestors. What makes you   
think I'd be so foolish as to risk anything now that we may finally  
have the means to that goal?"  
  
"You, act impulsively? Perish the thought." Saffir teased. He only  
laughed when his brother reached out and whacked him on the arm in   
retribution.  
  
  
"Actually, I have an idea that might satisfy a number of needs at the  
same time. As you said, a solid strategy for war requires   
information." A wolfish smile came to the lips of the White Prince.  
"Make the necessary arrangements for your test, little brother, and   
I'll accompany you. You're quite right. Wars are won with knowledge   
as much as with power. With luck, this trip will yield information   
for both us that will help win our war."  
  
***************************************  
  
The music was exquisite, as was the setting. Haruka sat back in her   
chair, appreciating the sweetness of the moment. It was a violin   
concerto by Tchaikovsky, one of Michiru's favorites. She poured her   
heart and soul into the instrument she used so skillfully. The   
violin was one of the few things that Michiru had brought with her   
when they'd been forced into exile from Earth. Lorilei accompanied  
her on the piano the two weaving a spell as potent as any of the   
magics Haruka had been witness to over the years. The piano had   
been something of a surprise. It wasn't just any piano but a concert  
grand at that. Haruka wondered what other goodies Helios had   
hidden around here.  
  
To be honest though, Haruka wasn't sure what was sweeter to her   
ears, the music from in front of her, or the small sounds that came   
from Goruden Kobushi in back of her. That the carefully preserved   
"truths" of the Sons of the Golden Kingdom weren't accurate pleased   
her to no end. Every time Helios found another discrepancy Goruden   
would make the most delightful sound, as if someone had just punched   
him in the stomach. All good things must end and so it was with both   
the Tchaikovsky piece and the humbling of Kobushi, at least for now.   
  
"Marvelous," Haruka smiled broadly at Michiru. "You two should play   
together more often."  
  
Michiru gave a half bow, "Thank you, even if you are a bit biased."   
  
"You really are wonderful," Goruden rose and went to first Michiru.   
He took her hand and gave it a genteel kiss. "I saw you perform   
once back in Tokyo and I was stunned by your talent then and remain  
so today."   
  
He moved to Lorilei who sat at the keyboard, blushing at his frank   
gaze. "And you Meiou-san, are also very talented. I hope to hear   
more from both of you in the future." Before she could protest he   
took her hand also and gave it a kiss.  
  
"T…thank you, Goruden-san," Lorilei stammered nervously. Damn, but   
she hated it when she stuttered like a school girl! Even after all   
the years of performing publicly she'd never gotten good at just   
accepting a compliment. "You're very kind."  
  
"Please, call me Kobushi. There's no need to be so shy. I'm really  
quite harmless." He gave her his most charming smile.  
  
Haruka was tempted to debate the point, but didn't. Part of her   
hoped that Setsuna would pick up on the distress Lorilei was feeling.  
She entertained the very pleasant fantasy of Pluto coming out here   
and launching a Dead Scream right up Goruden's butt. Unfortunately,   
Helios picked that moment to find yet another of the discrepancies   
between the records kept in Elysion and the Book of the Golden Kingdom.  
  
"The Black Death - of course!" Helios said in a cheerful voice. "I   
think I may have found where the major break happened!"  
  
"Duty calls ladies," Kobushi sighed. He gave both Michiru and   
Lorilei a final smile then turned to walk back to Helios.  
  
Haruka noted as he passed that Kobushi was all ready grinding his   
teeth together. She leaned back in the chair, a small but very smug  
smile on her face. Life was good sometimes.  
  
"You don't trust him, do you?" Michiru asked, moving to sit beside   
her life-mate. She watched Lorilei start to play softly again.   
Letting her eyes close the pianist withdrew into her own world. The  
quiet musician was able to hide from her worries and concerns inside  
the music she created. The aqua haired Senshi of Neptune envied her   
that ability.  
  
The snort Haruka gave spoke volumes. "Should I? Not too long ago   
Goruden was telling cheering crowds that the Moon Kingdom was a dark  
den of 'eeevil"," she drew the word out melodramatically.   
  
"He saved Mamoru's life," Michiru loved to play devil's advocate.  
  
"Which would not have needed saving if Goruden and his thrice damned  
Sons' hadn't kidnapped him in the first place," Haruka was good at   
this game, too.   
  
"Minako loves him."   
  
That statement made Haruka narrow her eyes dangerously. "Goruden   
Kobushi has made his career out of being charming. For all I know he  
could very well have seduced Minako just to get closer to Mamoru."  
  
It was time to lay the last card on the table. "Usagi trusts him."  
  
"Usagi can be too trusting," Haruka replied. "This is why someone   
with the kind of power she has needs guardians like us to keep her   
safe."  
  
This was what was really bothering Haruka, Michiru suspected. With  
the four Inner Senshi missing, the primary task of protecting their  
Queen and King now fell to them. "And that makes you uncomfortable?"  
  
"Well, it's not as if I've ever been particularly good at it," Haruka  
ran a hand through her short, blonde hair. "I swear that she waits   
for me to point out any possible dangers then purposely heads   
straight for it. Mistress Nine, Nephelenia, Seiya," Haruka ignored   
the annoyed look Michiru gave her when she included Seiya in the   
list, "Galaxia; I warned her about them all and Usagi still jumped  
right in to save them."   
  
Michiru had to smile at the frustration in her life-mate's tone of   
voice. "So," she asked with a sly glance, "What bothers you more?   
The fact that Usagi didn't listen to you, or that she was right about  
them all?"  
  
That made Haruka laugh softly "Yes, Usagi was right about all of   
them, but that doesn't change the fact that she still could have very  
easily ended up dead. If there's a lost soul or an impossible cause   
Usagi is right in the middle of it. I swear that she's drawn to   
trouble like ions to an electrode." She tugged at a few strands of   
her golden hair. "There are days when I'm surprised that my hair   
hasn't turned gray from the stress."  
  
"That's okay," Michiru leaned over and kissed her beloved. "I'll   
still love you even when you're old and gray."   
  
The kiss ended and Haruka let her hand graze Michiru's cheek   
affectionately. No matter what trials lay ahead of them, as long as   
they had each other Haruka could face the devil himself. "Michiru…"  
  
"There you are!" Luna's voice broke the moment and both turned to   
see the small black cat bounding towards them. A hop brought her up  
into the bench beside them. Luna cast a bright and hopeful glance at  
the two women.   
  
"Setsuna asked me to fetch you. She's found Ami."  
  
***************************************  
  
Setsuna had given it considerable thought after the last trip into   
the past. Determined to make sure that none of the protocols she   
lived by were dismissed as unimportant, the Senshi of Pluto had   
re-worked her instructions speech. This time she was sure that she'd  
found the perfect metaphor to get her point across.  
  
"Time travel is like Star Trek," Setsuna started out. "The prime   
directive is non-interference."   
  
Haruka leaned slightly to whisper to Michiru. "I've always liked   
Babylon Five better myself."   
  
Pluto had heard the comment and raised an eyebrow at Uranus while she  
continued. "We want to find Ami, our Ami, and get her back here with  
as little disruption as possible. That means that we stay out of   
local affairs and try to avoid attracting the attention of the minions  
of the Dark Kingdom. The fewer chances there are to create a temporal  
anomaly the better."  
  
"Excuse me Sailor Star Fleet," Uranus said, "but aren't the silver   
fuku and wings of Eternal Sailor Moon have going to be something of a  
'temporal anomaly'? And what about the fact that Tuxedo Kamen has   
decided to expand his wardrobe from basic black to lavender?"  
  
"Actually, we've got that part of it covered," Mamoru smiled. A   
twist if his wrist called a rose and that, in turn, triggered his   
henshin. Mamoru closed his eyes when the power washed over him,   
using what he had learned about the Golden Crystal. The great power  
of Earth was the ability to shape and mold and he used it now. When   
the flash of magic faded, he was adorned in the formal black tuxedo.  
  
"Black is a better color for you anyway," Usagi smiled. She reached  
up and tapped the small ornament that was attached to his bow tie   
before going back to finish working on the hair tossed over her   
shoulder. It was being put into a simple braid, albeit a long one   
that trailed to her hips. The crescent moon on her brow had been   
clumsily covered by a rolled up scrap of cloth that was tied around   
her head like a bandana.  
  
"Usagi isn't going to transform," Setsuna said. "As you pointed out,   
the wings and silver fuku are just too distinctive to hide. It'll be   
up to we three," she gestured at Neptune and Uranus," to protect her.  
Tuxedo Kamen will try to handle any problems we run into."  
  
Artemis coughed once to gain everyone's attention. "Luna and I  
have been running over a few things that could all add up to trouble.  
While Ami was in her Senshi form when the spell of crystal sleep was  
shattered, her henshin may or may not have been broken. If the  
way Mamoru and Usagi reacted to the manner in which suspension was   
ended is any indication, then Ami isn't herself right now. She could  
be wandering around Tokyo in a daze, not sure of who she is or where   
she is. In that state she'd be easy prey for the Dark Kingdom."  
  
"My biggest worry is that the ripple in time that allowed me to find   
Ami is going to attract the attention of the Dark Kingdom," Pluto   
continued. "It's imperative that we find her before they do."  
  
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus were all sharing power with Usagi   
when the spell of crystal sleep was shattered," Luna said. "Our best  
guess is that they were 'burned' both psychically and neurologically   
when the proto-gate had its little accident. Happily, we do have a   
way to deal with that kind of trauma."  
  
"Then why not bring Ami here to the safety of Elysion to heal her?"  
Michiru asked reasonably.  
  
"We don't know just how badly she's been hurt, or how deep the 'burn'  
is," Setsuna replied. "The trauma of moving Ami through another   
Gate before healing her could very well kill her."  
  
Usagi was putting the last touches on her braid. "The good news is   
that since I came into the full powers of the Ginzuishou, I don't   
have to henshin to use it anymore. The bad news is that from what   
Luna tells me, this is going to be the kind of healing that requires  
a lot of concentration." She patted the end of her braid, stopping  
to really look at it for a second. "Hey, wait a minute… Wasn't my   
hair silver for a while?"  
  
"And let me guess. You're going to be so involved in the healing   
process that you'll be open to attack?" Uranus leaned over and   
whispered to Neptune. "What did I tell you? Like ions to an   
electrode…"  
  
The one word I want all of you to remember," she favored Haruka with   
a direct look, "is 'subtle'. The hope is that we won't have to fight.  
If we do have to step in we must remain as anonymous as possible.   
As much as we love to introduce ourselves, restraint has to be used.   
No names!"  
  
"Maybe we'll get lucky this time and Ami will be somewhere nice,   
quiet and safe," Usagi sighed, looking the portal to the Timegate.   
"We're certainly overdue for the breaks going our way for a change."  
  
"Where would the fun in that be, kitten? I've always wanted to   
get a crack at some of Beryl's inky minions and this could be my only  
chance," Uranus teased. The smile she'd hoped to provoke in Usagi   
was her reward. With a slap Haruka rubbed her hands together and   
looked at Pluto. "Okay, let's go kick some Dark Kingdom butt."  
  
***************************************  
  
The dock she wandered onto was nice and quiet, any activity having   
ceased with the coming of evening. The lack of other more confusing  
sounds suited her quite well at the moment. She settled on the very   
end of the wooden jetty, feet dangling over the edge of it. The tide  
was coming in and each time a wave crashed gently against the pier a   
light spray of water would bathe her.   
  
She closed her eyes as the latest infusion of salt water caressed her  
skin like a lover. There was a name that drifted into her mind – Ami.  
Yes, she thought, that's who I am; Mizuno Ami. The rhythm of   
incoming tide was an intoxicating, eternal melody as old as the   
planet itself.  
  
The symphony of the waters called to her and Ami listened to the   
things it told her. It sang of people and places, names and faces.   
It sang of those she loved, and those she had fought. Her entire   
life was in the aquatic rhapsody and Ami listened intently to it.   
  
So lost in the rapture of the timeless song of the waters was Ami   
that she never noticed the Youma that stalked her until it was too   
late. Something grabbed her, pulling her from the ocean's healing   
embrace. The creature laughed, words coming from it's mouth that Ami  
couldn't make sense of. Then the pain started and the world around   
Ami began to grow dark as her life and energy were ripped from her.  
A phrase was at the outer edge of her elusive memories. Frustration  
welled up in Ami as she struggled against both the physical pain and  
the maddening notion that she had the power to save herself if she   
could only remember!  
  
"Stop right there!"  
  
That voice, Ami thought, I know that voice! Despite the pain, she  
attempted to concentrate. A jumble of images flashed through her  
mind, too fast to make much sense of any of them. The voice came   
again and the creature that held Ami turned to face it.  
  
"The ocean is a place of beauty and tranquility," a tall man in a   
tuxedo and cape said. He held a white rose in one hand, the stem   
sharper than a dagger. "How dare you attack someone who has come  
to enjoy it!" Oh God, Mamoru thought, I hate these speeches. Why do   
I make them when I always come off sounding like a total moron?   
"Release her now or I will not forgive you!"  
  
Surprisingly, the Youma dropped Ami and she hit the ground, hard.   
Not surprisingly, the Youma then launched itself for Tuxedo Kamen.  
He easily leapt out of the way. As he landed the Earth beneath his  
feet filled him with a gentle hum that ran right to the top of his  
head. A flick of the wrist sent the rose streaking through the air.  
It impaled itself where the monsters heart should be and the creature  
gave a howl of pain.  
  
"Do you think a simple flower can stop a warrior of the Dark   
Kingdom?" it hissed, clawing at the rose.  
  
Mamoru opened himself to the power of Earth. The gentle hum exploded  
into a song that filled him. A single hand was raised and, palm out,\  
he gestured at the Youma.   
  
"As a matter of fact," his fist snapped closed and the white rose   
gave off a flash of golden fire that ran through the creature in a   
heartbeat, reducing it to ash. "Yes I do."  
  
"Oooh, I'm impressed," Usagi cooed, walking up behind him. He was so devastatingly handsome in that black tux, she observed, "Nicely done,   
Tuxedo Kamen-sama." Usagi knelt down beside the shivering Ami.   
"Everything's going to all right now, Ami-chan. Let me help you."  
  
"I know you," Ami said in a soft voice, blinking owlishly. "I think  
I know you…" Even shock and Youma attack couldn't completely shut   
down the agile mind of Mizuno Ami.   
  
As Usagi summoned the great power of the White Moon Kingdom, a   
ghostly figure in the shape of silver wings cupped her body for an   
instant. They enfolded her, then snapped open and disappeared.   
Usagi's body shimmered with the subtle radiance of moonlight. She  
slowly, gently reached out and cupped Ami's cheek.  
  
"Moon healing – escalation," her words were soft, but the power in  
them was unmistakable.   
  
The wave of stardust flowed into Ami and the young woman gave a gasp  
of relief. The sigil of Mercury was faintly outlined on her brow.   
Usagi felt the moment she made contact with the sailor crystal locked  
deep inside the young woman. Falling deeply into a healing trance,  
Usagi started to mend the terrible damage done by the traumatic   
rupturing of stasis.   
  
From where the three Outer Senshi observed, carefully hidden in the  
shadows of some large crates, Setsuna smiled. "See, that's what I   
mean by subtle. No fireworks, no loud explosions, no crowd drawing   
theatrics," she gestured with her hands in a delighted fashion,   
"just poof, no more Youma."  
  
"I do have to admit that the way Tuxedo Kamen dispatched that Youma  
has a certain, elegant flair to it," Michiru agreed.  
  
Uranus grunted in reply, folding her arms across her chest. It   
seemed that she'd underestimated just how strong Mamoru had become.   
"Remind me again. Just why are we here when it seems that Tuxedo   
Kamen has everything under control?"  
  
"In case of trouble," Neptune replied lightly, teasing her life-mate.  
  
"Well, well," came tenor voice from the air around them. The scorn  
was readily apparent in it. "It seems that those roses you throw are  
good for something after all."  
  
A whirlwind of cherry blossom petals filled the air. The form of a   
slender man in a dark uniform appeared within them. He laughed,   
taking a tendril of his long, blond hair and playing with it between  
his fingers.   
  
"Do I want to know who that is?" Uranus asked, not liking the looks   
of the young man at all.  
  
"Trouble. That is one of the four Lords of the Dark Kingdom."   
Setsuna sighed in a long suffering fashion. "Oh pooh, I knew this   
was going too well."   
  
"Zoicite," Tuxedo Kamen growled unhappily.   
  
Oh great, it just had to be Zoicite didn't it? Mamoru had never   
gotten the chance to repay him for impaling him with that crystal   
spear. And he wasn't going to, either, Mamoru's conscience told him.  
Zoicite was executed by Beryl shortly after the aborted fight at the  
Tokyo Tower. That little confrontation had culminated in Mamoru's   
being kidnapped, brainwashed and used as Beryl's personal boy-toy.   
  
Tuxedo Kamen glanced at Usagi and Ami. Caught up in the healing   
magic of the Ginzuishou they were oblivious to what was going on   
around them. He had to find a way to keep Zoicite away from them but  
was handicapped by the knowledge of what had to happen in the near   
future. As much as Mamoru might like to try and pound some sense   
into Zoicite, he couldn't let anything too awful happen to him or the   
conflict in the Tokyo Tower might never take place. If that never   
happened, the Ginzuishou wouldn't appear and Usagi wouldn't be   
revealed as the Moon Princess. Mamoru was beginning to understand   
why Setsuna was so nervous about allowing people to travel through   
time. A single accident or misstep and the future went right down   
the tubes.   
  
"I was hoping to lure Sailor Moon here, but you're the one I really  
wanted to see," Zoicite laughed darkly. He glanced at where Ami and  
Usagi sat together, both suffused by the subtle power of the   
Ginzuishou. "These two humans seem to possess an unusual power. I  
intend to take it and their lives unless, of course, you give me all  
of the rainbow crystals you have."  
  
The arrogance in that statement made Mamoru laugh. "I don't think so  
Zoicite. Call it a night and go home. Whether or not you want to   
believe it, I really don't want to have to hurt you." The power of   
Earth sang inside him.   
  
His feet touched the ground and a feral smile crept across Zoicite's  
face. "Oh, but I so want to hurt you, Tuxedo Kamen." He snapped his  
fingers and three more Youma faded into existence around him. With  
careful indifference, Zoicite examined his fingernails. "I'm going   
to have those crystals one way or another. You may have beaten one   
Youma by yourself, but I think you'll find things more difficult   
now."  
  
"Well," Uranus said cracking her knuckles. "That's our cue."  
  
"Remember, the word of the day is 'subtle!" Pluto cautioned as they  
prepared to enter the fray.   
  
"Don't worry," Uranus raised her fist. It glowed with building   
energy. "I'm the very soul of discretion." The fist was brought  
slamming to earth in a single gesture. "World shaking!"  
  
One of the Youma bared long fangs and gathered itself for a leap at   
the tuxedo clad hero. It had no more than shifted its weight in   
preparation to move when the bolt of bright power churned up the   
ground. No one could possibly mistake it for anything other than   
what it was, a challenge. The monsters turned as one to regard the   
three warriors of the outer planets who appeared to stand between   
Tuxedo Kamen and the trio of Youma.  
  
Pluto glanced back at Mamoru. "We'll handle these creatures, Tuxedo  
Kamen-sama. You do what you have to."  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Zoicite's voice ran up an octave in outrage   
and it broke girlishly.  
  
Haruka drew a deep breath to reply when Pluto used her garnet rod to deftly whack Uranus on the ankle.   
  
"Star Trek," Setsuna hissed angrily.   
  
Uranus glanced at Pluto and without missing a beat replied in a loud,  
clear voice. "I am Captain Katherine Janeway of the Federation star  
ship Voyager."   
  
Her attack was powered up, waiting for the words to release it and  
Michiru fairly glowed. "Stand down or we'll open fire with our   
photon torpedoes."  
  
Pluto rolled her eyes at Uranus's speech. "You just love to yank my  
chain whenever possible, don't you?"  
  
"We do our best," Uranus replied with a satisfied smile.   
  
If Zoicite was rattled by the appearance of these strange, new Senshi  
he didn't show it. "Very funny. I'd love to stay and listen to more  
but I have crystals to collect." He waved dismissively to the   
slavering Youma. "Make sure there's nothing left of them."  
  
Zoicite didn't so much as glance at the three Senshi, just turned his  
back in a motion of contempt and moved towards where Usagi held Ami.  
Tuxedo Kamen was suddenly there, standing between the Dark Lord and   
his beloved. He raised his hand, another rose ready to be launched   
in it.  
  
"I warned you Zoicite," Mamoru said in a dangerously low voice.   
"Leave now or face the consequences."  
  
"Consequences?" Zoicite laughed darkly. "I am one of the four Lords  
of the Dark Kingdom, cape boy. Who do you think you are that you   
could possibly stop me from taking what I want?"   
  
Would you believe the future King of Earth, Mamoru thought? Over the  
years he'd forgotten just how much he disliked the arrogant, superior   
attitude that seemed to be a job requirement for the forces of   
darkness. Their own egos refused to allow them to consider that they  
might fail.   
  
A sword of crystal appeared in Zoicite's hand and he charged Tuxedo   
Kamen, blood lust in his eyes. The temptation to shift into his   
princely form of Endymion (and the very large sword that went with   
it) was strong, but Mamoru called for his cane instead. The power of  
the planet coursed through him and Mamoru had never felt like this   
before. He was stronger and faster than he'd ever dreamed of being.  
The blow by Zoicite was easily parried and Tuxedo Kamen let a   
fraction of the energy at his command flow through the cane as he   
struck Zoicite.   
  
A look of surprise on his face, the Dark Lord was lifted off his feet  
by the impact. He landed a short distance away with the wind and a   
good deal of the fight knocked out of him. The memory of what he and   
Usagi has suffered because of Zoicite's machinations filled Mamoru  
with an anger that was unexpectedly intense. The planet reflected   
its prince's rage and with each step he took the ground shuddered in  
sympathy. He stood over Zoicite and put the tip of his cane to the   
Dark Lord's throat.  
  
"This fight is over Zoicite," Mamoru growled. "And you lost. Get  
your sorry butt back to the Dark Kingdom – now."  
  
His hand trembling with both shock and anger, Zoicite wiped away a   
small trace of blood that trickled from his nose. "I won't forget   
this insult," he hissed and disappeared in his trademark whirlwind of  
flower petals. "This is not over between us, Tuxedo Kamen."  
  
"For you, Zoicite, yes it is," Mamoru said. If Setsuna was right   
about the timing, Sailor Venus would appear tomorrow on these same   
docks. A few hours after that, Zoicite would be executed by Beryl.   
Mamoru glanced over at where the three Outer Senshi were fighting the  
trio of Youma.   
  
"Do you need any help?" he called out.  
  
To be honest, Haruka had always wondered just how much of a challenge  
the denizens of the Dark Kingdom had truly been. She'd harbored the   
illusion that the Outer Senshi would have been able to deal with them  
handily. This fight was dissuading her of that notion rather quickly.  
A long, thin cut was opened on Uranus' arm and she hissed in pain.  
  
"We're just fine, thank you!" she snapped back.   
  
"Temper, temper, life-mate," Neptune called out lightly. In an   
instant her attack was powered up and she singled out her target.   
"Deep submerge!"   
  
The Youma shrieked when it was engulfed by the energy then,   
literally, went to pieces. Neptune smiled, fastidiously dusting her  
hands clean of the dirt the fight had raised. "Next," she said.   
  
Youmas had earned the reputation of being vicious fighters that were   
totally and slavishly devoted to their Queen. Beryl liked her   
subjects the way she liked her men; brutal yet subservient. The Dark  
Kingdom lackey Pluto was fighting had enough presence of mind to look  
concerned when the Soldier of Time summoned the bright energies she   
controlled, but not enough brains to run. Magenta eyes narrowed in  
contempt at the pawn before her.   
  
"I am the soldier with the blessings of the underworld. Give your   
mistress my regards when you see her in hell." With a graceful   
gesture, Pluto let her staff settle back into her hands. "Dead   
scream."  
  
The last remaining Youma looked nervously at the small piles of dust   
that were floating away on the wind. It paused, considering that it   
might be better to flee and risk Zoicite's wrath than certain   
destruction by staying here. Unfortunately, Youma's were built for   
fighting, not for thinking and the concentration needed to come up   
with the thought left it wide open. Uranus was not the kind of   
solider to let that opportunity pass.  
  
A hand was raised over the head of the soldier of the sky, the power  
of her guardian world rushing up to meet it. In a gesture that was   
needed to both release the attack and satisfy Haruka's bad temper,   
she slammed the fist to the ground. "World shaking!"  
  
Exploding into several million tiny pieces, the last Youma was   
carried away on the ocean breeze. Uranus nodded her head with   
satisfaction. "Well, that's that."  
  
There was a flash of blue light that grabbed the attention of all   
three Senshi. It happened too fast. In the instant they turned,   
something moved through the veil of dust that was all that remained   
of the dark kingdom denizens. Before anyone could stop it, the   
creature slithered between the guardian Senshi and headed towards   
its goal.  
  
The very spot where a defenseless Usagi was healing Ami.  
  
***************************************  
  
The only thing that made perfect sense to Saffir right now was why   
Demando had insisted Rubeus come along on this jaunt. That the two   
aliens would be tempted to try an escape once they were off of   
Nemesis was a given. The job of Crimson Rubeus (at least in Saffir's  
eyes) was to look threatening. He did it quite well actually, Saffir  
had to admit. There was a semi-permanent sneer on the man's face   
that gave you the impression that he was currently thinking of ways   
to hurt you. The two droids that flanked the red-headed thug only   
added to the incredibly unsubtle message that was being projected.  
  
[I]Please try to escape so that I can inflict a slow, lingering and   
excessively painful death on you.[/I]  
  
Here they were on Earth and the foremost thing in the mind of Crimson  
Rubeus was still the many applications of pain. The man was indeed   
the moron he'd suspected all along. Unfortunately, Rubeus was so   
good at his task that it was affecting Saffir's. The young man with   
the ebony hair tapped the smaller of the two aliens on the arm to  
regain his attention.   
  
"These indicate the coordinates of where we were. These," he pointed  
to another set of numbers in an alien script, "are where we are now.   
This set of numbers is some kind of time value, ne?"  
  
Rory nodded, glancing once at again Rubeus. The jackbooted thug had a  
hand on Dirk's shoulder and whatever he was whispering to his older   
brother made him sweat and go pale. "Ummm, yes. This is a clock,   
for lack of a better term. It tells you how long it took you to get   
here."  
  
"How long we were in the gate or how much time has passed since we   
left Nemesis?" Saffir asked with acute interest. All the pieces of   
a puzzle first started a quarter of a century ago were starting to   
come together in his mind.   
  
"How long has passed since we left, Lord Saffir," Rory replied   
carefully. The numb, drunken euphoria had worn off and every nerve   
in his body throbbed painfully at him. He vowed that he would never,  
ever, try something this stupid again. If, that was, he and Dirk   
managed to survive their current predicament.   
  
"Time can flow a little differently inside the lesser gates. You   
can lose hours, sometimes as much as a day going between one place   
and another. That's why old proto-gates like this one were taken out  
of use by my people about a century ago." Rory privately cursed the  
day he'd found this one in private use and stolen it. "There were   
stories of strange temporal phenomenon that circulated for years.   
Not that I believed any of those silly tales of people arriving   
before they left and the like."   
  
A small bark of laughter that had a slightly hysterical edge to it  
burst from Saffir. "Oh yes, I'll bet they were quite unbelievable."   
  
Saffir stared at the control panel for a long moment, letting the   
knowledge of what he held in his hands seep into his clever mind.   
Demando was going to be very pleased with this bit of information,   
Saffir knew. His enthusiasm was dampened by a look at his brother.   
Saffir wondered what he was thinking, but from the look on the White  
Prince's face, it wasn't good.  
  
Using the power of the Jakozuishou, it had been easy enough to stay   
hidden from sight. That gave Demando the luxury of standing back and   
observing his rival in action. It wasn't the power that Endymion   
displayed or the fact that those three female warriors popped up to   
fight for him that caused a slow and steady rage to burn in the heart   
of the White Prince. It was, oddly enough, the sight of the vast and  
seemingly endless water that got him angry. It took Demando's mind a  
moment to come up with the proper name for it – ocean. This must the   
ocean that his mother had told him about as a child. There was more   
water here, in this one place, than Demando had ever dreamed of. It   
was an example of the natural wonders on this jewel of a world and   
the fact that Endymion barely seemed to notice it only made Demando   
all the angrier. The Black Moon Clan had been forced into exile on a  
small, dark moon while Endymion ruled in luxury here. He was so   
jaded by the riches he possessed that he barely noticed them anymore.  
  
Well that would end soon enough, Demando vowed. He would see   
Endymion a broken man. The White Prince would take everything that   
the so-called King of Earth held dear and make it his own. Purple   
eyes narrowed, becoming as cold and hard as amethysts as he watched   
the woman with the long, golden braid use the magic at her command.   
It was Serenity, Demando knew, and the clumsy attempt to hide her   
true identity only added to the insult the prince of Nemesis was   
currently feeling.   
  
"Onii-san?" Saffir's voice broke into his thoughts.   
  
"Did you get the answers you were looking for?" Demando replied   
sharply.   
  
"Yes and I think you'll be quite pleased by what I found out," the   
joy of discovery was dampened by the black mood of his brother.   
Saffir knew the look on Demando's face and didn't like it at all.   
His brother was angry and getting angrier by the second. Unless   
Saffir could take preemptive action, Demando was about to do   
something rash, he suspected.   
  
"I don't want to discuss it here," Saffir leaned closer to Demando,  
his voice lowered to a whisper. "There are too many others around   
and this is for your ears alone."  
  
"Very well. I have just one thing to do before we go," Demando   
growled. He snapped his fingers at one of the two droids that had   
accompanied them.  
  
"That woman with the blue hair," Demando gestured to the spot where  
Ami was being healed. He had no idea who the woman Serenity was   
pouring power into truly was, but it didn't really matter. That   
Endymion wanted her was reason enough to act. "Kill her."   
  
***************************************  
  
The healing aspect of the Ginzuishou had always been considered the   
more minor of the magics it possessed, but Usagi loved to use it.   
Sealing away demons or stopping the fatal plunge of an asteroid was   
certainly more spectacular, but healing an enemy had always been   
preferable to destroying them for Usagi. This "lesser" power was   
what stopped Chaos when he'd possessed Galaxia. It was the light   
that freed Fiore from the hateful grip of the Kisinean flower.   
  
The warm, sweet energies that filled her were as welcome as the first  
day of spring after a long, cold winter. There was life and the   
promise of renewal in the power. Usagi let it flow into Ami,   
wrapping them both in the warm, comforting balm of the Ginzuishou.   
Usagi sensed the places that had been damaged by the proto-gate   
accident. Ami's bond with the power of Mercury had been fractured   
and that, in turn, had caused a cascade of problems. Ami was   
disconnected from herself at the most basic level. With a thought,   
Usagi carefully directed the mystic energies to the crumbling bond.   
Ami sighed, relief etched on her elegant features as she was made   
whole once more.   
  
A blue aura flickered around Ami's body, the edges of the light still  
carrying the distinctive silver glow of the Ginzuishou. The   
confusion and fog that had clouded her eyes cleared. On her brow,   
the sign of Mercury appeared and a rush of power filled the young   
woman. Throwing back her head, Ami called out in a strong, confident  
voice.  
  
"Mercury power – make up!"  
  
The cerulean fire that engulfed the elfin woman was at odds with the   
sound of flowing water that accompanied it. There was an intensity   
to this transformation, a subtle yet unmistakable strength that was unprecedented. What that change was became more obvious as Ami's   
clothes melted away and the fuku of Sailor Mercury took its place.   
The bow with its long, trailing ribbons and the translucent sleeves   
were gone; replaced by the simple uniform that Ami had first worn as   
the soldier of wisdom. It was as if everything nonessential had been  
burned away, leaving only the primal power of Mercury.   
  
Mamoru came up softly in back of Usagi, not wanting to startle or   
distract her. She looked like an angel, he thought, suffused as she   
was by the light of the Ginzuishou. It wasn't until Ami called out   
her henshin phrase the he placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.   
  
Usagi's hand reached up and was placed over Tuxedo Kamen's.   
"Mamo-chan," she whispered, coming back to herself. She looked back   
up at him and smiled. Usagi's eyes suddenly went wide as she saw the  
dark shape racing toward them. "Mamo-chan!"  
  
Mamoru only caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. His  
reaction was automatic and instinctive. He grabbed Usagi, pulling her  
into the safety of his embrace. Together they rolled away from the   
danger, but Tuxedo Kamen realized too late that Usagi wasn't the target  
of the attack – Ami was.  
  
The light from her henshin hadn't finished dying away when Mercury   
was grabbed by the throat and hauled to her feet. The cold, inhuman   
hands tightened, cutting off her air and Ami's own hands came up,   
trying to pry them loose. The droid pulled back one arm but the vise   
like grip never slackened for a moment. The hand shifted and flowed   
into the shape of a scythe.   
  
"My Master has ordered your death," the construct hissed at Mercury.   
It prepared to strike. "Die!"  
  
There was only one chance to stop this thing, Ami knew. Ignoring the   
fact that her vision was going gray at the edges, she raised her arms   
and crossed them. Using the last of her breath she called out the   
words to loose her attack.  
  
"Bubble spray – freezing!"  
  
The mist she'd expected formed quickly. Mercury's will guided her   
power and the fog contracted into an icy vapor. The droid didn't   
even have to time to protest as the icy fog seeped into it. In a   
heartbeat the creature was frozen in place. Ami pulled back both   
feet and planted the hardest blow she could produce right on the   
droid's torso. It shattered into a million shards of ice.   
  
***************************************  
  
Demando watched from their hiding place, arms folded across his chest  
in annoyance. Nothing was left of the droid but bits of ice that fell   
to the ground around the woman with the blue hair. "So, the woman is   
a Sailor Senshi."  
  
Saffir wanted nothing more than to get out of here before they were   
spotted. He silently cursed at his brother's tendencies towards   
impulsive actions. "All of our stories say that these Sailor Senshi   
are powerful. We're not prepared to face a nest of them right now.   
We need to go before we're spotted, Demando."  
  
"I'm not afraid of the 'King of Earth' or his pet witches," the White  
Prince growled.  
  
"Nor should you be," Saffir quickly added. "But as you said, this is   
a mission to collect information. We don't want to tip our hand to   
Endymion too soon, do we?"  
  
Demando smiled, knowing that his brother was right. "No, we don't.   
Let's go then, little brother. I have the opening strike in our war   
to plan."  
  
The amethyst eyes of the Prince of the Black Moon Clan were bright and   
hard. "Enjoy your victory today, Endymion. The day of reckoning is   
almost at hand. I'll be coming for you soon - very soon."   
  
***************************************  
  
Next – The first fight in the war of vengeance against Endymion is   
fought on a battle field from the past – Mugen! Demando wants to   
provoke a display of Usagi's power but gets much more than he   
dreamed of. Be here in four weeks for a fight against and through  
time. 


	5. Chapter Four

As you may have noticed, I'm touching briefly on each of the five  
seasons of Sailor Moon in this story. Part of it is a way for Usagi,  
Mamoru and crew to have one last look at the events that brought   
them here before Crystal Tokyo rises and changes their lives forever.   
This will also allow them all to make peace with the past, then move   
on to the unknown future.  
  
I loved the "Supers" arc. It was everything a good anime is supposed   
to be. The villains were evil but there was the possibility of   
redemption. The Good Guys acted in ways that weren't always "good" but  
still only wanted to save the world. There was comedy and drama, hope  
and despair, and most importantly, the idea that the power of love can  
truly be the savior of us all. It was the very best of Sailor Moon   
(followed by the very worst of Sailor Moon, that dreadful "Super S"   
but that get addressed in the next chapter).   
  
Thank you, Donnar-I, for taking time out your hectic life to look at   
this chapter for me. Your insights make me a better writer and I am   
grateful beyond all telling!  
  
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own "Sailor Moon" or any of the   
attendant characters to which valid copyright laws apply. I am the  
creator of the original characters created in this story, so please   
ask me if you'd like to use them in a story of your own.   
  
  
*****************************  
  
"The Quest"  
  
By Meara  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"Time is the last forbidden territory." King Endymion.  
  
******************************  
  
"Time?" Demando leaned forward in his chair, almost unable to believe  
that he'd heard his brother correctly. "We've been moving through   
time? Are you sure?"  
  
Saffir looked around nervously. He and the White Prince were the only  
ones in the great hall at the moment, but the walls were known to   
have ears inside the castle of the Black Moon. "Yes, I'm reasonably   
sure that we've been moving into Earth of the past."  
  
"Earth of the past…" Demando took a deep drink from the wine glass in  
his hand, mind all ready turning over the potential to use this   
development to his advantage.  
  
Saffir bit at his bottom lip as he put an idea he had into words.   
"We've always known that the power of the Black Poison Crystal has   
allowed Nemesis to stay somehow hidden from view. I'm now beginning   
to suspect that this planet exists outside of the normal boundaries   
of time and space. Don't you see?" The excitement in the young man's  
voice made it grow louder for a moment. "This is the reason Endymion   
and his forces have never come after us. When our parents came to   
Nemesis, they quite literally vanished from his universe. We're on a   
world that exists outside of time! Endymion must be experimenting   
with time travel and during one of those attempts he accidentally   
opened a portal to another place outside of time and space; Nemesis."  
  
"Even if what you're saying is correct, Earth is very much within   
the 'normal' boundaries of time and space. So how is Endymion doing   
it?" Demando had always sensed that there was much more to the Black   
Poison Crystal than anyone had thought. The idea that he might be   
able to use it to bend time and space to his will was a heady one.   
"How is he getting into the past? More importantly, how are we able   
to follow him?"  
  
That brought a small sigh from Saffir. "To be honest, I'm not   
completely sure, but I suspect that he's somehow trying to use the  
power Serenity holds to do it. Since our gate seems tied to her and   
that energy she produces, we just go where and when she goes. This is  
all speculation, Onii-san. I need to be sure and the only way to be   
sure is by forcing her to use that power so I can take definitive   
readings."  
  
The crystal goblet of his favorite sat on the arm of his throne and  
Demando picked it up. A half smile of pure avarice came to his face   
as he contemplated how to achieve his goals. "This game is getting   
more interesting at each turn. A small conflict staged for our   
purposes could prove quite useful about now."  
  
"You just want an excuse to try and hurt Endymion," Saffir laughed.  
He knew his brother too well.  
  
The White Prince took a deep drink, enjoying the way the warm, sweet  
wine slid down his throat. "You say that as if it's a bad thing,   
Saffir. Oh yes, I plan to hurt Endymion a great deal. That's what we   
were raised to live for, isn't it – revenge? He'll die by my hand,   
make no mistake about it, but it's going to be a death by inches."   
  
"This game of yours is a dangerous one," Saffir said, suddenly more   
serious. "We've seen the kind of power Serenity is capable of and   
right now it's Endymion who controls it. If what we've been told is   
true, then those Senshi of his are very powerful as well."  
  
There was a part of Demando that was eternally linked to the   
Jakozuishou. He could feel the power waiting for him to call on it.  
"For all that your father went on and on about it, I very much doubt  
if Earth's Golden Crystal is a match for the Jakozuishou. Don't worry  
Saffir, I'm a master at the game I'm playing. It's like chess, you   
see, a series of intricate, strategic moves intended to draw your   
opponent out."  
  
"With you as the White King of course," there was a look of wry   
amusement on Saffir's face. "I suppose that would make Endymion the   
Black King?"  
  
There was a predatory gleam in Demando's eyes. "Think of those Senshi  
as his knights. Like any good chess player, I need to gauge the   
strength of his forces before I can make an effective battle plan.   
This confrontation will give you the information you need and me a  
chance to test out a theory of my own."  
  
"Don't look so concerned, Saffir," continued Demando. "I'm not going   
to do anything dramatic. This is just the opening skirmish in our war.  
A quick death is much too easy for Endymion. He's going to suffer   
long and slowly for all that he did to our ancestors." The White   
Prince held up his glass, considering the way the light reflected   
through it before taking one more deep draught. "And I intend to s  
avor each and every moment of his agony."  
  
  
***************************************  
  
He was supposed to be meditating but Yuuichirou found that task   
difficult to say the least. His wife of less than a year was missing. Yuuichirou long ago accepted that there were parts of Rei's life that   
he would never fully understand. That didn't assuage the worry,   
though. There was much more going on with her disappearance than the technically worded explanation of a Gate mishap that Setsuna had given  
him – much more. His eyes fell on Goruden Kobushi, who was speaking   
with Helios. The sight of the young man with the golden eyes made the   
anger that burned in his heart flare up higher than the sacred pyre   
in front of him.   
  
"So, do you hate him?"  
  
Startled, Yuuichirou jumped slightly, almost falling forward from his  
kneeling position. He inclined his head in the direction from which  
the voice had come. He knew who it was without looking, of course.   
He'd been a student of Rei's grandfather for the better part of a   
decade now.  
  
"Yes…no…I don't know," Yuuichirou felt tears spring up behind his   
eyes. "He was responsible for Rei's miscarriage."  
  
The old man sighed heavily, feeling the weight of his years. He moved  
closer to the fire, kneeling down beside his granddaughter's husband.  
"That was the work of another man, Kunshin Tetsu."  
  
"It was still his damned 'Sons of the Golden Kingdom' that sent that  
assassin in the first place," Yuuichirou hissed.   
  
"An American soldier killed my father in the war," the old man   
countered. "Does that mean I should hate every American I ever meet?"  
  
That made Yuuichirou look at his Sensei. "But…but…that's different,"   
he stammered.  
  
With seeming ease the old man closed his eyes and found his center.  
"The loss of the baby still hurts. I know what you're feeling right   
now, boy. I lost my wife, Yuriko, to cancer and then less than six   
months later, my daughter was gone too. I wanted to kill Hino Rokojou  
for what he'd done to my little girl, but I had to make a choice. I   
could either live for vengeance, or I could live for Rei."  
  
"How did you do it?" Yuuichirou asked softly. "How did you forgive   
Rei's father for what he did to her mother?"  
  
Clapping his hands together, the old man prayed for the wisdom to   
properly teach this lesson. "I didn't and I don't know if I ever   
will, but it doesn't matter. "Don't mistake vengeance for justice,   
Yuuichirou. Vengeance would be making public the fact that Rei's   
father used to beat his wife and child. I had some pictures, but not   
nearly enough legal proof to have the man convicted and sent to jail   
for his role in Miya's death. Public disclosure would hurt Rokojou,   
but it would also hurt Rei. That's the problem with revenge. It's a   
double edged sword. Never use it unless you're prepared to bleed."  
  
Yuuichirou struggled with the lesson he was being taught. "So, how do   
you live with the anger you feel? With the need to do…to do   
something, anything to make it all right again!"  
  
There was a sad smile on the old man's face. "By accepting my place   
in the grand fabric of creation. You and me Yuuichirou, even people   
as important as Rei or Usagi and Mamoru, we're just cogs that help to   
turn the wheel of fate." The sad smile took on a feral edge. "I also   
find comfort in a simple lesson that life has taught me. The   
Christians have a saying. 'Those who live by the sword, die by the   
sword'. People whose lives are built on hate will find that the fire  
they start with it is indiscriminate. Given time, it'll consume them,  
too."  
  
***************************************  
  
  
The Mugen complex had taken five years to complete and had been   
considered by many to be the crown jewel of the Tokyo waterfront   
revitalization project. Once the sight of crumbling factories and rat  
infested wharfs, it had become the home of sleek, glass skyscrapers   
that housed the prestigious Mugen School. The dozen buildings had   
been designed with the latest engineering advances. The builders   
boasted that the structures could survive a major earthquake or a   
category five typhoon and remain intact. They could not, however,  
have ever predicted the kind of storm that would erupt without   
warning.   
  
In the course of less than ten minutes what had been three square   
miles of shining promise was reduced to ruin. The skeletal remains of   
several of the largest of the buildings still stood, the tallest of   
them the Mugen school itself. From out of the shattered windows a   
thick, red substance flowed, as if the building was bleeding. It   
gathered together as it dripped to the ground, becoming a malevolent   
tide. That tide rose against the forces of the White Moon gathering   
at Mugen to stop the destruction of their world.  
  
"Oh no," Usagi whispered, the color draining from her face. Only   
Mamoru was close enough to hear her, "Oh no, not this."  
  
Uranus, Neptune at her side, surveyed the nightmarish scene that   
played out between the ornate double doors that made up the portal to  
the Timegate. "You know, Setsuna, you were wrong," said the Senshi   
of the Sky. "Time travel isn't like either "Star Wars" or "Star Trek".  
That we're about to take a day trip into this particular corner of   
hell has a definite 'Twilight Zone' feeling to it."  
  
Setsuna knew that the remark was Haruka's way of coping with the   
horror of the situation, and let the comment pass. "The good news is   
that our Rei is at the very edge of the battle field. Even in her   
confused state of mind, I'm willing to bet that her sixth sense will  
be dragging her towards the focal point of the dark energy she can   
feel. The only good thing about that chaos is that with all that's   
going on she's unlikely to attract the attention of Mistress Nine or  
Master Pharoah 90," Pluto had her back to the portal. She had no wish  
to see it again.   
  
Usagi inhaled sharply at the mention of Master Pharoah 90's name.   
She collected herself but Mamoru could sense the struggle inside her.   
As far as he knew, Mamoru was the only one that Usagi had told what   
had truly happened when she went into the void after Sailor Saturn.   
He had the feeling that there were parts of the tale that she'd never  
been able to talk about and he silently damned whatever twist of fate  
had sent Rei there.  
  
"Whenever you start out with the good news, Setsuna, there's   
invariably bad news to go with it." Neptune said dryly. She hadn't   
missed the way Usagi had gone deathly pale and gently touched her   
life-mate's hand to get her attention. A glance in Usagi's direction   
got Uranus to notice the distress their Princess was in.  
  
"Because of my part in what happened that day I need to make a couple  
of things clear before we go after Rei," Pluto looked directly at   
Uranus and Neptune. "This whole situation could get…complicated. Do   
you remember what happened in the helicopter on our way to confront   
the Death Busters?"  
  
"How could I forget?" Neptune replied. The images of ruin were   
strangely compelling to watch. "You stopped time to save us from   
being killed when it exploded."   
  
That caught Ami's attention. "You stopped time?! I didn't think that   
was possible!"  
  
Pluto blushed, looking somewhat chagrined. "I didn't actually stop   
time. What I did was to open a portal inside the heart of the   
explosion and manipulate the temporal matrix so that time was flowing   
at two different speeds. The helicopter still blew up, but in the   
space that Uranus and Neptune occupied, time had slowed down so far   
as to seem to have stopped all together. That delay allowed me to get   
them out of the helicopter and then push them back into 'normal' time  
before the explosion. It was an incredibly dangerous thing to do and   
I paid the price for it, but desperate times called for desperate   
measures. Mind you, I can play with temporal mechanics to some extent   
but certain laws of physics are immutable: Two objects cannot occupy   
the same space at the same time."  
  
"Why does that phrase fill me with foreboding?" Haruka asked in a   
deceptively light tone.  
  
A dark chuckle came from Pluto. "Once my past self pulls that little  
temporal trick in the helicopter, I can't open my Gate for several   
minutes after we see that explosion. The portals would be much too   
close together and that brings up the whole 'two objects can't occupy  
the same space at the same time' argument. Bad things happen when you  
try to open two Gates in the same place at the same time; really bad   
things."  
  
"So that means we'll be stuck there, in the middle of that insanity   
with no way out?" Unreasoning, blind panic was trying to take hold of  
Usagi. If not for Mamoru's presence, so calm and supportive, she'd   
have run from the room by now. Also, the fact that he slipped his arm  
around her waist impeded her ability to flee.  
  
"No," Mamoru seemed to be speaking to everyone, but his words were   
primarily aimed at Usagi. "That means if we can't find Rei and heal   
her enough to move through Setsuna's Gate in time, then we'll leave   
the battlefield. We can stay out of sight until it's safe to return   
to Elysion."  
  
"What if Master Pharoah 90 senses us enter the area?" Usagi said   
softly, the words coming out of her mouth almost against her will.   
She was starting to tremble now, the more she thought about what had  
happened all those years ago the more nervous she was getting.   
  
"We won't go in as Sailor Senshi," Ami noticed Usagi's growing   
agitation with concern. "He's unlikely to notice a few more 'ordinary'  
humans with all the power our past selves were putting out at the time."   
  
"You don't understand! That thing was attracted to power, needed it   
like we need air. It may take a little longer but he will figure out   
what and who we are," Usagi's gaze was riveted to the horrors that   
played out in the portal, "and then he'll come after us."  
  
Mamoru glanced at a pale Usagi. He could feel her shaking against him.  
"Would you give the two of us a moment alone, please?" he said to the   
others.   
  
Uranus opened her mouth to speak, concerned for Usagi. "Kitten,   
what's…"  
  
Neptune grabbed her by the upper arm, dragging her towards the door,   
"Of course, Mamoru-san. We'll be down the corridor if you need us."  
  
"I am such a coward," the self loathing in Usagi's voice made Mamoru   
flinch. "Rei is out there in the middle of that war, hurt and   
confused, and I all I can think of is myself!"  
  
Mamoru turned her away from the scene playing out in the portal,   
pulling her close. It would have been easier if Usagi had cried or   
screamed. The soft whisper that came from her, the horror behind the  
words tore at his soul. Usagi closed her eyes and leaned into him.  
  
"He was inside me, Mamo-chan, that thing was inside me and I couldn't  
stop him. I tried so hard but I couldn't stop him!"  
  
"You did in the end," Mamoru whispered, stroking her hair and placing  
a tender kiss on the top of her head. He understood what Usagi had   
been through all too well. The pain and shame she felt when Master   
Pharoah 90 had managed to possess her while in the void was a demon   
he lived with, too. "You're not a coward. Of course you're scared.   
Any rational person would be frightened after what happened the last  
time you fought that thing. But you're not alone this time, Usako.  
'Together, whatever happens.' That's a promise I intend to keep."   
  
He'd been keeping Chibi-Usa alive at the time of the battle, pouring  
his own life force into the child to keep her heart beating. The   
facts did nothing to ease the guilt he felt. Usagi had faced the   
creature from the Tau system, paid a terrible price to save Hotaru   
and her own soul, all alone.  
  
"Pluto said that Rei is at the edge of the Mugen property. We'll find  
her and then get out of the area as fast as we can. If necessary, the   
rest of us will transform, but not you. You said it yourself, he was  
drawn to power and lots of power was being thrown around there during  
the battle. If you don't go beyond the healing level with the   
Ginzuishou then Master Pharoah 90 shouldn't even notice you."   
Whatever the cost, Mamoru swore that she would never have to face   
that horror again.   
  
"I know I have to go. I know that Rei needs me but I'm scared, Mamo-  
chan. I'm so scared that he'll get inside me again. That this time I   
won't be able to break his hold on me," she held Mamoru tightly,   
trying to draw strength from him.   
  
"I won't let that thing near you again, Usako." This time, Mamoru   
vowed, he'd keep her safe. "I promise."   
  
***************************************  
  
The four had gone out into the corridor, Michiru continuing to tug on  
Haruka's arm to keep her moving away. "When Mamoru said, 'give us a   
few minutes' he didn't mean 'hang around the door and listen'.   
They'll call us if they need us," she chided her life-mate.   
  
Not convinced, Uranus kept glancing back over her shoulder. Mercury,   
she noticed, had stopped and was looking in the direction they had   
just come from. Disengaging her arm from Neptune's amazingly   
effective grip, she walked over to the young woman.  
  
"Ami, do you know what's going on with Usagi?" Haruka put a hand on  
her shoulder.  
  
"Sacrifices," came the terse, one word reply.   
  
That surprised Uranus. "What…?"  
  
"That's what you said back then wasn't it? 'Sacrifices must be made  
if Earth is to be saved from the Silence.'" She turned to face   
Uranus, pushing the hand on her shoulder away with a quiet and   
terrible anger. "I don't know the details of what happened to Usagi  
when she faced Master Pharoah 90, but I do know that it traumatized  
her to the point where she regressed emotionally for the better part  
of a year afterwards. Take a good look at her when we go back in that  
room, Haruka. Look at the horror on Usagi's face at the thought of   
going back there and tell me if you judge her sacrifice to be enough   
to satisfy you."  
  
Braced to confront an angry Uranus, Mercury was taken aback when a   
low bark of laughter came from the Soldier of the Sky. "Well, well.   
It seems that the Soldier of Wisdom has found her claws at last. The  
changes in you are more than just cosmetic, ne?"  
  
Standing proud, Ami gave a curt nod. "I'm not a child anymore,   
Haruka, none of us are. I don't need a complicated title, long bow or  
an ornate locket anymore to prove to myself or anyone else that I'm   
powerful."  
  
"You are Mercury," Setsuna said with a fey smile. There was sense   
that she was seeing a pivotal moment, a vital part of the future   
falling into place.   
  
There was a serene elegance about Ami and a subtle confidence radiated  
from her, "But still Mizuno Ami as well. For too many years I tried   
to keep the soldier and the woman separate, as if being too much of   
one denied the destiny of the other. I was wrong."  
  
"So you finally figured that out?" There was an amused smile on   
Uranus's face.  
  
"Just as you were wrong," Ami continued as if Haruka hadn't spoken,   
"when you made Usagi fight you to prove she was worthy of being the   
Princess. What did you think you were doing? Was it a challenge or a  
punishment because she wasn't willing to kill Hotaru before she awoke  
as Sailor Saturn?"  
  
"Perhaps a little of both," Haruka admitted. It was a bitter truth.  
"The point was to make Usagi realize that there were times when you   
have to stand and fight; that the path you want to take isn't always   
the one you're forced to travel."   
  
Neptune came to stand with her life-mate and partner. "Our methods of  
fighting have always been different from yours, Ami, but you can't   
question our loyalty. We would give our lives to protect our King and  
Queen, to save this world." A look of sorrow passed across the   
elegant features of Neptune. "Hotaru did just that."   
  
"Then don't let her sacrifice be in vain," Mercury replied gently.   
"Don't you understand? The ends can never justify the means. If we do  
that, then we've taken our first step towards becoming the very evil  
against which we fight."  
  
***************************************  
  
Rei felt as if she was sleepwalking. She ached with a bone deep   
exhaustion that made her long for sleep. That sweet release from was  
reaching for her even now, but Rei stubbornly pushed it away. The   
small part of her mind that was working wondered if, perhaps, this   
was a vision of some sort. It certainly had the otherworldly feel of  
one. Whatever the reason, Rei seemed to be taking her own private   
tour of hell on Earth. She stumbled through the rubble, her feet   
causing the masonry dust that was everywhere to rise with each unsure  
step she took. Trembling with a dangerous fatigue, Rei found that   
she couldn't go any further. Gasping for breath she collapsed to   
sit on the nearest chunk of debris.   
  
On one side of her the afternoon sun cast a long, golden shadow over  
Tokyo Bay. On the other side was what was left of the Mugen School.   
There was a darkness there that was more than just physical. It   
pulled at her soul, a small voice deep inside her telling that she   
needed to respond to it – to fight. Exhausted and confused, all Rei   
could do was put a hand to her head in order to try to quiet the   
conflicting emotions that tore through her.   
  
This had to be a vision, Rei finally decided, or a dream. Which ever  
it was, she seemed unable to do more than sit and observe. Years of   
her Grandfather's training took hold of the Chief Priestess of the   
Hikawa Temple. Sometimes, Rei knew with grim certainty, you just had   
to wait and let the answers come to you. She sat on the boulder,   
determined to do just that, unaware that her body was sliding deeper   
and deeper into shock with each passing moment.  
  
***************************************  
  
Although Setsuna opened the portal as close as she dared to, getting  
through the ruinous minefield that was now the Mugen property took   
much longer than expected. Each footfall brought a small cloud of   
dust and they had to carefully pick their way around half buried  
chunks of debris, mangled pieces of cars and the broken glass that   
seemed to be everywhere. Off in the distance was the sound of an   
inhuman moaning. Usagi looked up when, in a ball of fire, several   
hundred pounds of jet fuel reached its ignition point as the   
helicopter the Outer Senshi of that time rode in exploded. The sound   
took a few seconds longer to reach them but when it did the ground   
shook as if in sympathy.  
  
A cold sweat suddenly covered Usagi's body as she remembered   
Setsuna's words. Pluto would be unable to open her Gate for a while   
because her past self had manipulated time to allow Uranus and Neptune   
to cheat death. They were trapped here. They were trapped here and   
Master Pharoah 90 would soon be emerging from the Tau system, burning  
with an inhuman hunger that wanted to devour the light inside her.  
  
Mamoru's hand was at her elbow, helping to steady her when she   
tripped. He drew her close for a moment, doing his best to send calm  
support across the bond they shared. "You need to keep focused on   
where we're going," he said, catching her eye. He could feel the fear  
she was trying so hard to keep at bay. "The past is the past. It   
can't hurt you anymore."  
  
From behind her came the soft sound of Haruka cursing as she barked   
her shin against a piece of concrete that was partially hidden in the  
masonry dust. Oddly enough the very earthy phrase used made Usagi   
smile at her husband. "Pieces of the past can still get you when you   
least expect it, ne?"  
  
"I guess this means we go with plan 'b', then?" The tall, blonde   
said. She stopped to tap the toe of her boot on the ground in an   
attempt to dislodge the grit that had migrated into it. "Now if only  
we can find Rei."  
  
Her fingers dancing over the keyboard of her palm top device, Ami   
nodded to herself, pleased with what she was seeing. "Well, if what   
I'm getting is correct, she's less than a quarter mile or so from   
here."  
  
"Good," Mamoru replied as they kept walking. He noticed that Usagi   
kept sneaking glances in the direction of the Mugen School. "Then   
let's keep this simple. We find Rei and once she's stable enough to   
move, get out of this area and lay low until it's safe for Setsuna   
to open her Gate."  
  
"I like that idea. Simple is good," Usagi agreed. There was a subtle  
pull at the back of her mind, a sense of the building darkness that   
was infesting this area. "I've had all the surprises I can handle for  
a while."  
  
***************************************  
  
Crimson Rubeus was the by-blow son of one of the peers of the Black   
Moon Clan. Gifted with power, but born on the wrong side of the  
blanket, Rubeus wanted nothing more than to achieve by force of arms  
what had been denied him by the circumstances of his birth – respect.  
He was ruthless, driven and perfect for the job which the White   
Prince had in mind.   
  
"So, four of those women are the legendary Sailor Senshi?" Rubeus   
mused, looking at the tableau displayed before him. A feral smile   
slithered across Rubeus's face. "I wonder how much it takes to kill  
one of them?"  
  
Following Endymion, Serenity and their companions had been easy   
enough. Demando used the power of the Jakozuishou to keep them hidden  
from the King of Earth and they had a splendid view of what was going   
on from here. That Rubeus was with them annoyed Saffir to no end. He  
slapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation at the man's lack of   
curiosity about anything that didn't involve the application of pain.  
He considered it a sure sign that Crimson Rubeus truly was a moron.   
Saffir had a thousand questions. Why was Endymion going to the past?  
A powerful mystic ward was keeping Saffir from seeing just where it   
was Serenity went to between trips through the time travel device.   
Just where was that – the crystal palace his mother had spoken of or  
somewhere else?   
  
"This is Earth, the place our parents were banished from," Saffir   
said. "Aren't you at all curious about it? Your own father died with  
the name of this planet on his lips." Despite the staggering amount of  
ruin about him, Saffir couldn't help but notice that just beyond the   
battlefield the sky was the most amazing blue he'd ever seen. And   
the water! There was so much of it that it was overwhelming.  
  
Actually, the only regret Rubeus had about his late and unlamented   
father was that the man hadn't died sooner. "I'm a soldier, Lord   
Saffir. My first thoughts are how best to serve my Prince, as yours   
should be." He did glance around him in a cursory fashion. The   
shattered buildings and rubble reminded him of Nemesis in a way.   
Although the way the warm, salty breeze that blew off the large   
body of water was startling in its own right.   
  
And to serve your own ambitions, the White Prince thought to himself.   
Saffir was right, Demando knew. Crimson Rubeus was a driven and   
ruthless man, but as long as the White Prince could use those   
qualities to his own ends, then he had no problem with that little   
personality flaw.   
  
"You'll get a chance to satisfy your curiosity Rubeus," It seemed to   
Demando that Serenity was nervous about something. She kept looking   
over her shoulder and off into the distance. Demando watched as   
Endymion reached out and let an arm slide around her waist in what   
seemed an openly possessive manner to the White Prince. The action   
annoyed him more than a little.   
  
"But you'll strike under my orders. Oh, and there's one other thing I   
want you to remember. Do you see that woman, the one with the long,   
golden hair?"  
  
"Yes, Prince Demando." Rubeus barely gave the tiny woman a second   
look.   
  
The royal purple eyes narrowed, a dangerous gleam in them. That   
caught the attention of the feral man with the red hair and Demando   
smiled. The White Prince knew just how and when to use the force of   
his personality. "She is not to be harmed by any actions you take. Do  
as much damage as you like to the Sailor Senshi, but the woman is   
mine to deal with, as is the man with her. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"I'm sure a good soldier like Rubeus knows how to follows orders,   
Onii-san," Saffir folded his arms across his chest in a mocking manner.   
  
Rubeus fidgeted ever so slightly. He didn't like Saffir and the   
influence he had with Demando. Although only Demando's half brother,   
the White Prince trusted Saffir more than any other living soul on   
Nemesis. Rubeus's own half sister, Esmerodo, was a miserable cow who   
never missed the opportunity to point out that he was a bastard.   
  
"I understand, my Prince, and I thank you for the confidence you show   
in me." Rubeus couldn't wait to run into his dear sibling and rub   
this newly found favor with Demando in her aristocratic face. "I   
won't fail you."  
  
Demando gave Rubeus a look that pierced the man to his soul. "See   
that you don't."  
  
***************************************  
  
"Rei-chan!" Usagi saw her as they scrambled around a large piece of   
what might have been a shattered foundation.  
  
Sitting quietly on the boulder, Rei seemed to take little notice of   
the people that walked towards her. She continued to contemplate the   
way the sunlight danced on the water. It wasn't until Usagi actually   
touched her on the shoulder that Rei even raised her face to look at   
her.  
  
"Rei-chan, are you hurt?"  
  
Rei looked first at the blonde, then slowly at the devastated   
landscape around her. She blinked, her eyebrows furrowing together in   
a moment of recognition. "Usagi, is it really you?" she asked   
uncertainly. "I feel so strange. Am I dreaming?"  
  
Trying to put a confidence into her smile that she was far from   
feeling, Usagi gently shook her head. "No, Rei-chan, it's us and   
everything's going to be all right now."  
  
Hanging back with Setsuna and Haruka to form an unconscious defensive   
line, Michiru looked back over her shoulder. "How badly off is she?"   
  
"Rei, can you look at me?" Ami asked in an even and soothing voice.   
She reached out, gently taking the young woman by the chin when she   
made no move to comply. "Shock?" she said, glancing at Mamoru.  
  
"Definitely," he nodded in agreement. "But I think shock is the worst   
of it. I don't see any other signs of trauma."  
  
Hands all ready cupped were prepared to call on the Silver Crystal.   
"So do you need me to heal Rei now?" Usagi asked, trying not to sound   
impatient. More than anything she wanted to leave this place.  
  
"No," Mamoru murmured, to himself at first. "No, I think she's stable  
enough to move." Rei was shocky and confused to be sure, but her   
condition wasn't serious enough to warrant Usagi's use of the   
Ginzuishou here and now. A pang of guilt lanced through Mamoru when   
he looked into Usagi's eyes and saw the fear she was desperately   
trying to keep under control. She could have waited for them in   
Elysion, he realized, could have been spared the trauma of coming   
back here.   
  
"We shouldn't be here should we? And where's Yuuichirou and Grandpa?  
Blinking owlishly in an attempt to clear her mind, she took a deep   
breath. "Are you sure this isn't a dream, or maybe a vision? It sure   
feels like one." Her voice held a note of annoyance, as if she   
suspected that some celestial Deity was playing tricks on her.   
  
Scanning the area with narrowed eyes, Setsuna was unable to shake   
the feeling that they were being watched. She'd hoped that it was   
just her reaction to Usagi's nervousness, but the sensation had   
gotten stronger in the past few minutes. Perhaps it was because the  
wailing in the distance had gotten more frenzied. The discordant   
howling was enough to unsettle anyone.  
  
Michiru noticed the look on the normally staid Setsuna's face.   
"What is it?" The sense of mounting evil in the area was making her  
skin crawl.  
  
"If Rei is mobile, then I think that now would be a very good time to   
leave," she said, peering nervously over her shoulder. Setsuna could   
sense the dark forces there growing. "We've been lucky so far but   
let's not tempt fate by hanging around here too long."  
  
"Can you open your Gate yet?" Usagi asked Setsuna. As much as she   
tried to ignore it, something was pulling her attention back to where   
Master Pharoah 90 was getting ready to emerge.   
  
The Gatekeeper allowed the part of her that held the Timegate to test   
the "feel" of the area. It was still too chaotic for her to risk   
opening a portal. "No, but soon. The further we get from here the   
faster the disruptions will fade."  
  
"Rei-chan," Ami asked gently but firmly. "Do you think you can walk?"  
  
"Of course I can walk," she insisted with a hint of annoyance. It was  
easier said then done and Rei swayed on her feet. The bone deep   
exhaustion and the desperate need to sleep made it hard to think   
straight. "At least I think I can walk. Kami-sama, I'm so tired."   
  
Haruka moved to assist Rei, motioning for Mamoru to go to Usagi. The   
Priestess wavered unsteadily again and would have fallen if not for   
the arm the tall blonde slipped around her waist. "Then let me help   
you. Hold onto me Rei, ne?"  
  
Michiru joined her partner, giving her life-mate an amused look as   
she came up on the other side of the dazed young woman. Together the   
two started to propel Rei forward. "Even after all these years you're  
still picking up all the girls you meet. Some things never change."  
  
It helped to let Haruka support a great deal of her weight while she  
regained her sense of balance. Her head was still muzzy and it took   
a fair amount of concentration to walk right. That, perhaps, was why   
the comment slipped from Rei. She looked at the tall blonde and   
shook her head almost regretfully. "Wow, you're strong, you know that?  
It's shame you're not a man, Haruka. Don't tell Yuui-chan I said so,   
but you'd make a really cute bishouen."  
  
The delighted laugh that came from Michiru was like bird song in the  
desert. She glanced at her blushing life-mate. "As I said, some   
things never change."  
  
  
***************************************  
  
The flashes of light and the eerie sounds in the distance intrigued   
Saffir. "What do you suppose that's all about?"  
  
The White Prince glanced dismissively at the horizon. Earth's history   
was little more than a repetition of various wars. "Some local   
uprising, no doubt. Ignore it, Saffir. What's about to happen here is   
going to be much more interesting."  
  
"Or maybe not," Saffir observed. He watched Endymion turn Serenity to   
start walking back the way they'd come. Unlike the last trip into the   
past, it seemed that Serenity wasn't going to access that bright   
power she controlled today. "It looks like they're not going to give   
me the opportunity to get those readings."  
  
"I thought you knew me better than that, little brother. You'll get   
what you need. I have no intention of letting the whims of fate rule   
my life. I make my own opportunities." The attention of the White   
Prince was riveted on his rival and on the woman at his side.   
  
"Rubeus follow me. It's time to begin."   
  
***************************************  
  
Usagi and Mamoru had taken less than a dozen steps before the storm   
of negative energy broke around them, effectively isolating them from   
the rest of their group. The two were pulled apart and Usagi had time   
to do no more than shout in surprise before she was lifted up and   
away from him. Impossibly she didn't fall but hovered above the   
ground. Mamoru, too, was lifted into the air, but instead hovering   
was slammed back to the rocky ground.  
  
"Mamo-chan!" Usagi screamed his name, reached for him but was unable   
to free herself from the mystic winds that buffeted her. "Mamo-chan!"  
  
She gave another yelp of surprise when she felt arms wrap around her   
and pull her close. "We haven't been properly introduced, Serenity,"   
the White Prince was behind her, leaning down to speak into her ear.   
"I am Demando, Prince of Nemesis."  
  
"D…Demando?" Usagi stammered, confused. He wasn't supposed to be   
here, in this time. "What are you doing here?"   
  
Much to his surprise, the White Prince found that he liked the way   
his name sounded on her lips. He felt a pang of regret for what he was  
about to do, but told himself that it was necessary. "I have some   
business with Endymion and as much as I enjoy your company, Angel,   
I'm afraid I have to insist you wait right here."  
  
Demando gestured with his hands, molding the chaotic energies of the   
Jakozuishou to his will. Ribbons of ebony power danced around Usagi's   
body. They enveloped her in a heartbeat, writhing and twisting into a   
cage that held her trapped in a silent and opaque prison. She called   
out to Mamoru but her voice couldn't penetrate the cage. Frustrated,   
she balled her hands into fists and pounded against the dark prison.   
The ebony walls sparked, sending an agonizing jolt through Usagi.   
  
The sight of her soundless scream of pain bothered Demando and he   
turned away from it. There was only one way to break the cage, he   
knew. The burst of power Serenity would need to tear it open should   
give Saffir the readings he wanted. In the meantime the White Prince   
would try to goad her into action by indulging himself in a long held  
dream of revenge.  
  
Demando floated to the ground. Mamoru was all ready staggering to his  
feet, his gaze going first to Usagi, then to the distant Mugen School.   
He was resisting the urge to transform, knowing that another spike of  
power could attract the attention of the Death Busters. Ocean blue   
eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"Let her go. Let her go right now," he growled in a low and   
dangerous voice. A thousand questions ran through Mamoru's mind at a   
dizzying pace. The foremost was the puzzle of what was Demando doing   
here, in this time? How had the White Prince known that they were   
here?   
  
Demando merely folded his arms across his chest and glanced back at   
where Usagi was trapped. "Serenity is a woman of both beauty and   
power, Endymion. I'll enjoy making excellent use of all her many   
charms," he paused just long enough to make his point. "Unless, of   
course, you think you can stop me."  
  
"You want Endymion," Mamoru snarled, knowing that he'd run out of   
options. If he didn't take steps to defend himself, Demando would   
most likely kill him and take Usagi. "You've got him."   
  
A wave of magic rippled over Chiba Mamoru. The black armor of the   
last Crown Prince of Earth now adorned his body. Ocean blue eyes   
narrowed with contained fury and a flash of golden fire surrounded   
him. Opening his link to the Golden Crystal, Mamoru let the power of   
Earth flow into him. Almost faster than the eye could follow he   
backhanded Demando. The White Prince was spun off his feet by the   
force of the blow, landing in the rubble hard enough to raise a veil   
of dust.   
  
"You fool, do you have any idea what you may have done?" Mamoru   
walked right by Demando, barely giving him a second look as he headed  
for where Usagi floated in her dark prison. "There are forces at work  
here that you can't begin to comprehend. Get the hell out of here   
before you make things any worse!"  
  
Angry at the humiliating way Endymion had backhanded him, Demando got   
to his feet. The ebony fire of the Jakozuishou radiated from him,   
building until his silver hair was standing on end. He reached out   
and grabbed Mamoru by the shoulders, letting some of his power run   
down and into his hands. It was Mamoru's turn to be catapulted into   
the dirt.  
  
"Dead Scream."   
  
So intent on his own agenda was Demando that he didn't see the bolt   
of lilac power coming at him until it was almost too late. He barely   
managed to deflect it using the power of the Jakozuishou. His eyes   
crackling with annoyance, Demando turned in the direction from which   
it had come.   
  
"I am the Soldier with the blessings of the underworld," the tall   
Senshi with the long, green hair said. "And I am not a happy woman."  
  
Until now, they had avoided transforming in an effort to remain un-  
noticed. Once Demando unleashed the power of the Jakozuishou, that   
point became moot in Setsuna's eyes. The chance of discovery by   
Master Pharoah 90 and the ensuing temporal anomalies that   
confrontation could cause made her head hurt to think about. It was   
an extremely ticked off Sailor Pluto who had launched her attack at   
the White Prince.   
  
"It takes a lot to get her this mad," Uranus said with a jerk of her  
head in Pluto's direction, "So unless you have a death wish, I   
suggest you go back to your dark, little moon, Demando."   
  
The staff in her hand was still glowing faintly. She stood with   
Uranus on one side, Mercury on the other. Neptune hung back slightly,   
protecting the dazed and exhausted Rei who was, by now, struggling   
just to stay awake.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd reveal yourselves as Sailor Senshi," The   
White Prince turned to face them. "Rubeus, I require your services now."  
  
On cue the vicious man with the red hair materialized between where   
Demando faced Mamoru and the Senshi. He seemed quite pleased with his  
role, martial zeal written on his face. "I am Crimson Rubeus, loyal   
subject to Prince Demando and I have been given the honor of the   
first strike in our war of vengeance."  
  
Whether it was the noise of battle or Rubeus' braying voice, Rei   
roused from her semi-stupor. The sight of him caused her temper to   
flare hotly and she had a moment of clarity. "You," she shouted with exasperation. Rei raised her hand and pointed directly at Rubeus,   
outrage in her voice. "You should be dead and roasting in hell, you   
thug!"  
  
A dozen droids appeared behind Rubeus and he gave an evil smile.   
"That's easier said than done, but you're welcome to try."  
  
Satisfied that Rubeus would keep the Senshi busy for a while, the   
White Prince turned back to where he'd left a stunned Mamoru. Demando  
had an instant of surprise when he turned to find that the man had   
gotten to his feet.  
  
"We can't do this, not here and not now," Mamoru said sharply. "Save  
this pointless fighting for another day. You have to leave here now!"  
  
"I told you once, Endymion, I give orders, I don't take them and   
certainly not from you." Demando's voice shook with rage. "Do you   
always turn tail and run from a fight? Or is it that you need her,"   
he jerked his head in the direction of Usagi, "power to win your   
battles?"  
  
Waving a hand, Mamoru gestured to the area of the Mugen School.   
There was a dark dome building around the area, slowly creeping   
outwards. "Do you know what that is? There's a creature at the heart  
of that war that eats power. By forcing this fight you're obligingly   
ringing the dinner bell and inviting him here."  
  
"Then let it come," Demando replied with an arrogant laugh. "You have  
no idea what kind of power I possess. Childish tales of a monster   
don't frighten me. I'll crush that thing the same way I'm going to   
crush you," He let the intoxicating rush of the Black Poison Crystal  
run through his body. "You are going to suffer long and slowly,   
Endymion; die a little at a time. You're going to watch as I take   
your life apart piece by piece and make it mine." Cold eyes of royal   
purple glanced at the woman trapped in the dark cage and a sensuous   
smile slid across Demando's face, "starting with her. By the time   
I've finished with you, you'll beg me to put an end to your… misery?"  
  
Demando's voice trailed off, the statement of vengeance becoming   
something else as the area was swept by a cold shadow. There was a   
feeling that came with the darkness, a sense that the shadows had a   
life of their own and more, that they were hungry. They swirled   
around both Mamoru and the White Prince and moved ever forward.   
  
Both men looked around to see that the battle between Rubeus, his   
droids and the Senshi had come to an abrupt halt as they, too were   
touched by the slithering shadows. The droids, creatures of both   
magic and science, were immediately engulfed by the darkness. They   
gave a short, shrill shriek as they were obliterated. The shadow   
grew as it absorbed the mystic energies released by their destruction.  
Not satisfied by what little energy the constructs had held inside   
them, the writhing tendrils moved on.  
  
"What trick is this?" Demando asked angrily. "I won't be fooled by   
your games, Endymion!"  
  
"This is no game," Mamoru said. He spun, starting to run to where   
Usagi was trapped inside the cage of dark energy. A rose formed in   
his hand, white as snow, and he let it fly. The tendril of night   
merely split away from the disrupting magics inherent in the flower,   
oozing to either side of it and continuing on.  
  
The shadows crept up the outside of the ball of energy that Usagi was   
inside. It moved as if alive, testing the walls and seeking a way in.   
Usagi tried to scurry away but there was no where for her to go. She   
was trapped inside the prison Demando had crafted with no avenue of   
escape. Usagi began to shake her head, mouthing words Mamoru didn't   
need to hear to know what they were about. The panic, the stark   
terror on her face was plain to see in the brief second before the   
cage, Usagi still inside, was engulfed.   
  
"No - USAKO!"  
  
The cage exploded in burst of primal power, shattering to dust in a   
nano-second. The white hot energies of the Ginzuishou were fueled by   
Usagi's fears and they seared the tendrils of darkness that sought   
her. Unstoppable as a tidal wave the silver light moved outwards in   
a circle that touched friend and foe alike with its power. In the   
center of the light was Usagi, now wearing the flowing white gown   
that marked her as the rightful mistress of the power she wielded.   
She held the Ginzuishou between cupped hands, effortlessly riding   
the storm of magic she'd loosed.  
  
Rubeus had watched as, in a heartbeat, his very comfortable advantage  
had melted away with his droids. He was now alone and surrounded by   
angry Senshi. To make matters worse, the light from the Ginzuishou   
flooded over him. The warm, healing energies of the Silver Crystal   
started to burn Rubeus clean of the taint of the Jakozuishou. Faced   
with not only a painful defeat at the hands of the Sailor Senshi, but  
with the loss of the power he had worked so long to attain, Crimson   
Rubeus was beginning to panic. He looked to his Prince, hoping to   
find an avenue of escape that would not cost him the favor he'd so   
recently found.   
  
Demando, too, was caught up in the storm of magic. He looked up at   
the woman in the light, a rapt expression on his face. "So   
beautiful," he said to himself, "Like an angel."  
  
As soon as the silver glow washed over Demando he felt the cold, dark  
energies of the Jakozuishou awaken inside him. It absorbed the power   
flowing around him, consuming it with a ravening, insatiable hunger.   
There was pleasure in the taking of the light and a sensual rush   
filled the White Prince. Saffir's comment about his being little more  
than a way for the Jakozuishou to feed came back to Demando. He   
suddenly wondered if, since he was able to channel and use the power   
of the Black Poison Crystal, he would be able to do the same thing   
with the silver energies coming from Serenity. The mounting intensity  
of the pleasure he was feeling overrode any natural caution and in an  
impulsive move the White Prince tried to pull the power of the   
Ginzuishou directly into himself.  
  
It may have been the fact that he was attempting to channel two   
diametrically opposing energies at the same time. Or perhaps it was   
that his own body was incapable of handling that much raw power at   
once. Whatever the reason, the White Prince was caught up in a mystic   
backlash that propelled him away from Mamoru like he'd been shot from  
a cannon. He landed hard to lay unmoving.   
  
Never one to miss an opening, Crimson Rubeus teleported to Demando's   
side. This was his way out and, perhaps, an opportunity to further   
ingratiate himself to Demando. He wrapped his arms around the White   
Prince and with the last of his power, the two teleported away from   
the battlefield.  
  
Mamoru barely noticed his rival's departure. Shielding his eyes with   
a hand, he looked for Usagi and when he found her his worst fears   
were confirmed. She was transfigured by the mystic energies and   
floated on wings of silver fire. Usagi's arms opened wide and the   
crystal between her hands moved to spin in lazy circles above her   
heart. Her clothes melted away into stardust as she reached for the   
fatally euphoric state called "the Balance". She was becoming one   
with the Ginzuishou, the power using her as much as she used it.   
  
Something was different this time. The river of power that flowed   
through Usagi was rough and uneven, not at all like the seamless and   
brilliant stream he remembered. The Ginzuishou continued to move in   
circles in front of her heart but just behind it an image was trying   
to form. It was a cup, Mamoru saw, large and ornate. The ghostly   
vessel was trying to open, light like that of the Ginzuishou leaking   
from it.  
  
"Master of Life have mercy," Setsuna said with both awe and   
reverence, "Is that what I think it is?  
  
Shock seemed to root Neptune to the spot on which she stood for an   
instant. "That's the sacred Moon Chalice, the Holy Grail!"  
  
Usagi's crystal blue eyes, which were glazed with a building bliss,   
suddenly widened in shock. She threw back her head and gave a   
piercing scream of pain just as a blinding flash exploded from the   
Ginzuishou. Arcing like lighting during a storm, the radiance   
abruptly withdrew back into Usagi's body, the Ginzuishou and the   
ghostly cup disappearing with the light. She was all ready   
unconscious before she began to fall.   
  
"Usako!" Mamoru leapt to catch her, saving Usagi from tumbling onto  
the unforgiving ground. She fell limply into his arms, so utterly   
still that Mamoru feared the worst. He knelt down, cradling her   
against him and was relieved to see that she was breathing.   
  
Linked to Earth, Mamoru shuddered as he felt the life energy in the   
ground beneath him sucked away by the slithering darkness. The   
tendrils of night writhed on the now barren soil, still hungry.   
Everything went deathly quiet and there was the sense that something   
large, dark and monstrous was now turning its interest towards them.   
The howling from the Mugen School grew louder, the dome of night   
pushing ever outwards.  
  
"Pluto, we need to leave now," Mamoru picked up Usagi, holding her   
tightly to him.   
  
Rei was trying desperately to clear her head but was still totally   
defenseless. Usagi was unconscious in Mamoru's arms and they were all   
surrounded by a growing evil that would soon move to consume them.   
Pluto knew they were out of options. Closing her eyes in   
concentration, Setsuna probed the area with the part of her that held   
her Gate. The whole fabric of space in this area was still wild and   
chaotic. "Hang on; this is going to be a rough ride."   
  
The Timestaff, the garnet orb at its crown glowing brightly, appeared  
in Setsuna's hands. "Pluto Gate - open!"   
  
A pulse of light, faint at first came to her calling. The silver   
light had odd tones around the edges, brilliant greens and blues   
casting rainbow sparks. With a skill honed over a millennia, Setsuna   
crafted the energies, forcing it into the shape she desired by the   
strength of her will alone.   
  
The frame of the portal shuddered, threatening the fold back in on   
itself but at last the familiar doorway began to appear. The portal   
shivered then seemed to split into two, the second doorway little   
more than a ghostly echo of the first. A third faint portal appeared   
almost on top of the second one. Within each of the doorways a   
different scene played out. Elysion was shown on the first, the Moon   
Kingdom in the second. Disturbingly enough, what looked like Beryl's   
throne room in the Dark Kingdom played out in the third.  
  
"Hurry, go into that one," Setsuna gestured towards Elysion. She had   
a thin sheen of perspiration on her brow, reflecting her struggle to   
maintain control. "The walls between worlds are breaking down and   
other realities are trying to seep through. We have to get out of   
here before they touch each other!"  
  
As promised, the trip through the portal was chaotic. It felt as if   
they were relentlessly falling, tumbling end over end. The warm,   
welcoming sunshine of Elysion had never been so sweet to Mamoru as   
they at last stepped out of the portal and into Earth's hidden shrine.   
Dr. Mizuno was waiting for them, he noticed in a distracted way, as   
were both Rei's grandfather and Yuuichirou.   
  
"Firebird!" Yuuichirou called out, taking Rei from Haruka and Michiru.  
"Are you all right?"  
  
She blinked owlishly, pulling away from him to run a tender hand   
along the lines of his face. "Yuui-chan?" She glanced at the small   
man behind the two, "Grandpa?"  
  
"Welcome back, Little Girl," there were tears in the old man's eyes.   
"You gave us quite a scare."  
  
Kneeling, Mamoru gently settled Usagi against him, noting with relief  
that she was all ready beginning to come around. "Usako," he called   
gently, "Come on love, open your eyes for me." He sensed more than   
saw the other Senshi gather around him.  
  
"Mamo-chan?" Anxiety filled her and she gave a gasp, trying to   
remember why she was so upset. "Something's wrong, something's   
terribly wrong!"   
  
"It's all right, we're back in Elysion," he said, trying to ease her   
fears. "You're safe now, Master Pharoah 90 is gone."  
  
"The Balance," she shook her head, the memories flooding back. "I   
tried to go into the Balance but the power wouldn't come to me."   
Usagi grabbed at his arm and Mamoru finally understood that the panic   
she was feeling wasn't because of Master Pharoah 90.   
  
"Mamo-chan, if I can't go into the Balance then how am I going to   
awaken Earth from the spell of crystal sleep?"  
  
  
***************************************  
  
It was the pounding in his head that convinced Demando that he was   
still alive. His stomach gave a nauseating lurch as well when he   
opened his eyes. He was lying down on his own bed, Demando was   
surprised to realize.  
  
"Onii-san, can you hear me? Are you all right?" Saffir was just s  
hort of frantic with worry and it was a fight not to shout the words.  
  
"That depends," the White Prince slowly raised his hands to gently   
massage his throbbing head. "If feeling like someone is trying to   
drive a very large spike through my head is normal, then yes, I'm   
just fine. Oh and I think I'm going to throw up, too."  
  
"Crystal, you scared me out of a year of my life," Saffir was free   
to feel a little angry now that he was sure that his much loved   
brother wasn't dying. "What did you do?!"  
  
A weak smile played across the handsome face of the ruling Prince of  
Nemesis. "I tried to directly channel that power Serenity produces,"   
a small laugh was next at the look on Saffir's face. "Hey, you're the  
one who said that I shouldn't allow the Jakozuishou to use me to   
'feed'. I was just following your advice."  
  
"Well you picked a fine time to start listening to me," Saffir   
grumbled in reply. "You could have been killed for nothing. Our Gate   
may be tied to her, but the one that moves through time isn't. I'm   
sure of that now."  
  
"It's all right, Saffir. I told you that our war is like a game of   
chess. This little confrontation has shown me what I'll need to do in   
order to win." Fatigue was catching up with Demando. More than   
anything he needed to sleep and his voice was slurred.   
  
"Like any good chess player, I'm going to strip Endymion of his most  
powerful piece." Drifting off, Demando let a last thought follow him   
down into dreams.   
  
"I'm going to take his queen." 


	6. Chapter Five

How many people out there hated the SuperS season? Well, I certainly   
did and I dare say that I'm not alone in the dislike for whole Dead  
Moon Circus arc in the anime (at least until they moved into the   
Stars arc. Then Nephelenia got really interesting. I do so adore an   
openly psychotic villain!) The only "saving grace" in the plotline  
morass of pink-sugary Chibi-Usa overload was Fisheye. You have got to   
love a blue haired, rubber suited, transgender, transpecies bad guy.   
How could I possibly resist the urge to have a confrontation between   
Fisheye and one of the Outer Senshi?   
  
My humble thanks go to Donnar-I for the use of her extraordinary   
skills as a Beta-reader. She graciously takes time out of her   
insanely busy life to look at my work. Without her help this story   
would not have the polish it does and I am grateful for her gifts of   
time and wisdom!  
  
Is anybody reading this story? I certainly couldn't tell from the   
mail, or lack thereof, that I get. A short letter means a lot to   
fanfics writers and is the only form of "payment" we can rightfully   
expect. Have pity on us all and drop your author of choice a short   
note today!  
  
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the other   
characters created by the gifted Naoko Takeuchi. They are used here   
without permission and without expectation of monetary gain. Neither  
do I own the Chaos Theory or the flash freezing process invented by   
Clarence Birdseye for vegetables! I do, however, claim as my very own   
intellectual property the characters created for this series by me   
(such as the Sons of the Golden Kingdom, the S'Eyre, their Imperium   
and the way I have Gates work in my twisted, little universe). Please  
ask permission if you'd like to borrow them for a story of your own.   
  
  
************************  
"The Quest"  
  
by Meara  
  
Chapter Five  
  
I will get everything that I want. Everything…" Prince Demando,   
episode 74.  
  
************************  
  
In the very center of Elysion was a grove that was being used by   
Setsuna to, temporarily at least, house a set of portals specifically  
created for the Timegate. Searching through the tides of time   
required that one end of her Gate be kept open, a dangerous practice   
under any circumstances. This place with its ancient and formidable   
wards was perfect for the task. It was also well away from prying   
eyes. The ability to travel through time was the most closely   
guarded secret of the Moon Kingdom. That was the one constant that   
had never changed through the years.   
  
Luna and Artemis had been dispatched to the past to scout out the   
area that Setsuna said Minako was in. The rest of them waited in the   
grove. Usagi was withdrawn this morning and quiet enough to worry   
Mamoru. Her aborted attempt to go into the Balance had left her with   
a nasty headache and, worse yet, nagging doubts about her ability to   
use the Ginzuishou. Since the silver crystal reacted as much to   
Usagi's emotional state as to her mind, it could very quickly turn   
into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Mamoru knew his wife well enough to   
realize that there was only one possible way to deal with her current   
mood. Distract her until it passed. To that end he unobtrusively   
pushed the tray with what looked suspiciously like chocolate biscotti  
on it a little closer to Usagi. The Prince of Earth didn't know and,   
frankly right now, didn't care how Helios had managed to come up with   
the delicacies. He simply blessed his guardian priest and made good   
use of the gift.   
  
"My mother's people, the S'Eyre, call it 'the walls between worlds',"   
Setsuna started out in an attempt to explain the strange phenomenon   
they'd witnessed when she opened her Gate yesterday. "Simply put,   
it's other realities trying to leak through into ours. Remember what  
I said about bad things happening when two Gates try to open in the   
same place at the same time? Well, that's one of them – a biggie.   
Stepping into an alternate reality and getting stuck there could   
have disastrous consequences."  
  
"There are schools of temporal theories that say every time we make   
a decision, no matter how small, a new time line is formed around it.   
That ghosting effect with the other portals into different universes  
might add validity to those hypotheses," Ami reached out and took one  
of the delicate confections. With a cup of good coffee in one hand, a   
biscotti in the other and temporal theories to expound on, life was good.   
  
Rei gave a snort, deciding against dunking the chocolate cookie in   
her green tea. "So the fate of our reality hinges on whether or not I   
buy carrots at the market?"  
  
"Think about it," Ami was in philosophical paradise. "You decide to   
buy frozen green beans instead of fresh carrots. On the way home the   
green beans thaw, and causes a hole in your paper bag. The bag breaks  
and you pause to pick up the groceries now strewn on the sidewalk.   
Because you do pause, you cross the street a few seconds later than   
you would have had the bag not broken. A car runs the light and had   
you been crossing the street, you'd have been struck. Do you see where  
I'm going with this?"  
  
"Frozen vegetables are evil?" Usagi ventured lightly, finally joining   
the conversation. She took a bite of the biscotti, savoring the way   
the rich, smooth chocolate blended perfectly with the taste of the   
coffee in her mouth.   
  
"We can influence the way the future unfolds," the magnitude of the   
implications were not lost on Mamoru. "But does the knowledge we have   
give us the right to change things to our liking?"  
  
"You know," Ami looked thoughtful. "We never did find out how Demando   
was able to travel to the 20th century. Also, the way Rubeus   
introduced himself to us gives me the impression that he'd never met   
us before. That makes me wonder if, although we know him from our   
past and our future too, he's meeting us for the first time."  
  
"This is making my head hurt to think about," Rei took a bite of the   
biscotti and a sip of her tea. "I mean, the future we saw has to   
happen because we know it's there. For Kami's sake, we traveled to   
it."  
  
Setsuna grimaced. "Not necessarily. It's possible that we're creating  
a new, separate timeline; that the future you saw will not come about  
for us. It's also possible that nothing short of death can change the   
way the future will unfold. We just don't know. That's why mucking   
around in the past is so appallingly dangerous."   
  
"If there's one thing I've learned over the years," Haruka said   
dryly. "It's that fate does not like to be screwed around with. The  
more you try to fix things, the worse they get."  
  
"Not unlike your motorcycle," Michiru teased her life-mate.  
  
For a man who only looked to be in his early teens, Helios had an   
air of wisdom that was hard to ignore. "Not quite the way I'd have   
put it, but I essentially agree with you, Lady Uranus. There is a   
pattern to creation, a greater plan that none of us can truly   
comprehend. The mysteries of that plan mean that things will happen  
a certain way no matter how we try to change them. Some call that   
destiny, some call it fate."  
  
"Some call it a pain in the butt," Haruka grumbled.  
  
"What I want to know," Usagi sounded frustrated, "is why whenever we   
solve one mystery three more pop up to take its place? I've got the   
Grail inside me, which is no surprise since we knew before we went   
into suspension that Hotaru had given it to me. But why is the thing   
sealed and why did it show up when I tried to use the Ginzuishou to   
go into the Balance?"  
  
"That's only two questions," Rei poured herself more tea. She wasn't   
about to let Usagi sink into melancholy. "So what's the third?"  
  
"Why is my hair blonde again?" Usagi took a handful of her silken   
tresses, letting them fall through her fingers. "It was silver when   
Earth went into the cold sleep. It's blonde again and every time I   
see myself in the mirror it creeps me out!"  
  
"It's a reflection of the changes that have occurred in the   
Ginzuishou." The voice was carried on the breeze and seemed to be   
everywhere at once.   
  
Selene, one time Queen of the Moon Kingdom, partially materialized   
into view. Her body was not quite solid, shifting and flowing as it   
was subjected to the mystic winds that had carried her here. She   
bestowed a tender smile on her daughter and son-in-law.  
  
"Hello Serenity, Endymion," Selene turned to look at the other Senshi   
gathered around, "It's so good to see all of you, my dear ones."   
Helios went to one knee, his head bowed. "Please Helios, don't kneel.   
I haven't been a queen in a very long time."  
  
There was reverence in his voice but, as Helios lifted his head, a   
mischievous light in his eyes. "I bow not you, Lady, but to the One   
who's light you carry."  
  
"Well said young Priest, "Selene smiled. "Endymion, when my   
granddaughter is old enough to date you'd best watch out for this   
one. He could charm the birds right out of their trees."  
  
"Mother, I tried to go into the Balance but I couldn't," Usagi  
blurted out. "What did I do wrong?"  
  
"You didn't do anything wrong. The problem is more basic." Selene   
motioned with her hands and an image of Earth floated before them   
all. "Working together, you and Endymion have healed this world but  
to accomplish this miracle, the power drain on the Ginzuishou was   
substantial. It may take decades before you're able to use the   
crystal's greater magics, such as the Balance."  
  
Usagi's face went pale, Mamoru noticed, as if this was what she had   
feared all along. "Then how can the spell of crystal sleep be   
broken?" he asked, slipping a supportive arm around his wife.  
  
The Earth disappeared, replaced by the ghostly outline of the Grail.   
"Millennia ago, when my ancestors first harnessed their power and set  
it in the Ginzuishou, the vessel you call the Grail was used to house   
it. This sacred cup has retained the residual energies from that   
  
time. By combining the two, you should be able to achieve the Balance   
and awaken humanity."  
  
"If I need it, then why is it sealed?" Usagi called out in   
frustration.  
  
"Unlike the Ginzuishou, which needs a member of the Lunar bloodline   
to properly work, the Grail's mystic energies can be used by anyone.   
The seal was put in place to make sure that only you can harness its  
might. Once you have gathered all nine of the soldiers of this solar   
system together, they can break the Seal and you can access the   
Grail's power."  
  
Rei couldn't stay silent any longer. "Excuse me, but we still have a   
problem. Mercury, Venus, Moon, Mars," she began to tick the names   
off using her fingers to count as she went, "Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus  
and Pluto. That's only eight. With Saturn gone we don't have nine   
soldiers in this solar system anymore."  
  
The soft laugh that came from Ami caused everyone to look at her.   
"Yes, we do. People seem to forget it, but Mamoru is the Soldier of   
Earth. After all, he carries Earth's star seed, the Golden Crystal."  
  
"Please listen to me. I can't stay here much longer like this.   
Serenity, to harness the energies of both the Ginzuishou and the   
Grail you must allow yourself to truly become the Keeper of the   
Balance, the one who forges a single power out of many sources. The   
awesome power of the Balance was meant as a tool of last resort. In   
having to achieve it this way, there may be no controlling it. Be   
careful that it does not consume you, Serenity." Selene was all ready   
starting to fade away. "This is a dangerous time for you my precious   
child, for all of you. The re-emergence of the Ginzuishou has not   
gone un-noticed. The Darkness is rising. It covets the Light, seeks   
to control it but the very power it wants so badly is a two edged  
sword. In it lies the potential for both salvation and ruin."   
  
Her spectral body was carried away on the wind, but her last warning   
remained, echoing through the minds and hearts of all present.   
  
"The future will come, but what shape it will take is up to all of   
you. Choose your path wisely."   
  
***************************************  
  
While the official histories of the people who now called themselves  
the Black Moon Clan had plenty to say about the man who they believed   
was at the root of their misery, Endymion, they barely touched on   
Serenity. She was his wife, all the tomes agreed; beautiful,   
powerful and completely under his spell. The impression given by all  
the tales was that Serenity was Endymion's enthralled toy, blinded by   
her love for him to the fact that she was little more than a pawn   
used to keep the throne of Earth in his traitorous hands. The opinion  
of the Elders of the Clan concerning women had never been very good   
to begin with. They considered Serenity to be just another one of   
Endymion's tools and like most females, not a very bright tool.   
Demando suspected there was much more to it than that.   
  
The White Prince sat in an overstuffed chair that while very   
comfortable had seen much better days. He had a book in his lap, his   
feet resting on an equally shabby looking ottoman and his eyes were   
distant. Demando liked this quiet, private corner of his suites. A   
piece of the Jakozuishou ran up one wall of the room and like a pillar  
of black fire it roiled, the lights within it constantly shifting and   
swirling. He took a deep breath as he contemplated the power, feeling   
it echo inside him. There was the very real sense that the crystal   
was somehow sentient, waiting patiently for the White Prince to call   
on   
its limitless power.  
  
The only lasting effect from his attempt to channel Serenity's power   
directly into himself was a nagging headache and an even more nagging   
question. Just what was the source of the power that the Neo-Queen of   
Earth controlled? His desire to get some answers had led him to his   
mother's journals. He'd been careful to keep and preserve them after   
her death, as if he could keep a part of her with him through her   
writings. The Lady Amethyst was held up as the model of what all good   
women of the Clan should be; obedient, beautiful and totally   
subservient to the wishes of the men in her life. Demando also knew   
that for all her public docility she'd had a clever mind. He'd   
inherited it after all as had Saffir. His mother saw things that   
others missed. Her journal had been the one place she wrote it all   
down. While the male Elders of the people once called the Sons of the   
Golden Kingdom focused only on Endymion and his betrayal, Amethyst   
had looked beyond that.   
  
According to his mother the power Serenity controlled was called by   
several of names. The Devils' Stone, the Stone of Illusions and the   
Silver Crystal being the most oft mentioned. It had been Serenity,   
not Endymion, who had awakened Earth from the Great Sleep; a fact   
glossed over by the official histories of the Black Moon Clan.   
Amethyst carefully put down all of the facts and credible rumors that   
she'd heard about the Silver Crystal. Serenity had been said to seal   
away demons with it, battle extraterrestrials and even once stop an   
asteroid from slamming into the Earth. That spoke of a greater power   
than the Elders were willing to credit the Neo-Queen of Earth with.   
Endymion was able to channel mystic energy, take it and shape it to   
his will. How much, Demando now wondered, of that man's power came   
not from the Golden Crystal but from Serenity?  
  
So deep in thought was Demando that he never noticed the passing of  
time and the fatigue that overtook him. The eyes closed to think   
became shut by sleep, instead. Everything he'd read along with his  
own ideas came together in his slumbering mind and the White Prince   
began to dream.  
  
A part of him knew that this was a dream but the other part didn't   
care. He had his foot on a prone Endymion's chest and looked down at   
his hated rival with a predatory smile. The fear in the Neo-King's   
eyes made Demando's heart sing. This was what the White Prince had   
been born to do. From his earliest days, the need to take back Earth   
and punish Endymion had been meticulously drilled into him. He was   
the instrument of revenge for all that his ancestors had suffered   
over the course of a thousand years. That long awaited vengeance was   
finally at hand and Demando intended to savor it.  
  
  
a voice in his dream hissed,   
  
"I am everything you should have been Endymion and so much more. I am   
the True Prince, the Hope of a Thousand Years, the rightful King of   
Earth!" Demando snarled. The power of the Jakozuishou ran through his   
body. "And as such, I claim what is mine by right!"   
  
A blast of ebony lightning lanced into the body of Endymion and he   
gave a short, shriek of mortal agony. It was over too fast and the   
smoking body of the Ex-King lay sprawled at the White Prince's feet.   
Even above the smell of charred flesh came the scent of roses.   
Startled, Demando turned and saw her.  
  
Serenity, her hands clasped to her bosom, demurely stood a few feet   
away from him. "You killed him," she whispered to the White Prince,  
her voice soft with trepidation.  
  
A single stride took Demando to her. He reached out and with a   
gentleness that surprised him, cupped her chin. "But I won't hurt   
you, my Angel. Don't be afraid."   
  
She raised those incredible, blue eyes and looked shyly at him   
through thick lashes. "I'm not afraid of you…Demando. What are you   
going to do with me?"  
  
The voice in Demando's dream was subtle, the hissing voice was never   
raised beyond persistent whisper.   
  
Serenity's skin was like silk beneath his hands and her sunshine hair   
scented with the delicate fragrance of damask roses. The White Prince   
pulled her into his arms, tilting her head up. "I told Endymion that   
I'd have everything that was his. His throne, his world," he paused   
before lowering his lips to capture hers, "his wife."  
  
Serenity returned the kiss with a burning passion that Demando had   
somehow known she'd possess. Her arms ran up and down his back with   
growing ardor as he let his lips explore her neck, move down onto her   
willing body.  
  
"Demando…" she moaned his name, making his own passion rise even   
higher.  
  
"Demando, please…" the longing for him in her voice filled a primal   
need within the White Prince. He wanted to savor this moment and make  
it last forever.  
  
"Demando, please wake up!" Serenity's voice seemed to drop by about   
an octave.  
  
The White Prince nearly fell out of the chair he'd been asleep on.   
His purple eyes blinked, the last images of the dream still playing   
in his mind. "S…S…" he stumbled over her name, suddenly realizing   
that it wasn't the flaxen haired Neo-Queen who stood over him. "S…  
Saffir?"  
  
"You were moaning in your sleep," a lock of raven hair fell across   
Saffir's eyes as he leaned over his brother and he brushed it away.   
"Are you all right?"  
  
You mean other than the fact that I need a really cold shower right   
about now? Demando thought collecting himself. "I'm fine. It was a   
dream, nothing more. What's happening?" He rubbed the sleep out of   
his eyes.   
  
There was a look on Saffir's face that said that he wanted to ask   
just what was really going on with his brother. After a tiny pause,   
the younger man decided that, perhaps, now was not the time to indulge  
his curiosity. There were other, more important, matters to attend   
to.  
  
"Everything is ready to go, just as you ordered. I brought a dozen   
of the new model droids into service, somewhat prematurely but I   
think they'll do what you wish of them without too much trouble.   
Rubeus is ready to go as well. I can't vouch for how much trouble   
he'll give you, however."  
  
With a long, feline stretch the White Prince rose. He went to the   
vein of crystal in the wall, running his hands over it lightly. The   
roiling energies pulsed at his touch, deep greens and purple high-  
lights swirling in place.   
  
"Very good," Demando all but purred. Had his dream been an omen of   
success, he wondered? "I can always count on you Saffir. You've never   
let me down. That's why I want you with me when I strike. As for   
Rubeus," a sly smile crept across Demando's face. He was well aware   
of how self important Rubeus was feeling these days. "Despite his   
high opinion of himself, Rubeus is just another tool for me to use   
as  
I see fit."  
  
He let the ebony fire run through him, careful not to open himself   
too much to the Jakozuishou lest he become lost in its intoxicating   
song. "With a single move I'm going to cripple Endymion both   
strategically and emotionally, Saffir. Once I have her, I'm going to   
make Serenity mine in every way. Having her at my side when I finally   
kill Endymion, the pain on his face as he sees that I've won her, will  
only make the moment all that much sweeter."  
  
  
"You know that might not be quite as simple as you make it sound,"   
Saffir said almost hesitantly. He was the only one who could tell   
Demando truths he sometimes didn't want to hear. It wasn't always an   
easy thing. He tried to choose a way to say what he wanted without   
hurting his brother. "Your plan is to show up and take Serenity with   
you whether or not she wants to go. That doesn't strike me as the way  
to win a woman's heart. The enchantment Endymion has her under has   
got to be pretty powerful. All of her behavior makes it seem as if   
she really does love the man. I can't see her taking her 'liberation'   
from him very well."  
  
A wicked smile came to the handsome face of the White Prince. "Then   
once I have her back here, I'll just have to make Serenity love me   
more than him. Come now, Saffir. Have you ever known me to be unable  
to charm a woman into doing what I want?"  
  
He had a point, Saffir had to admit. "Well, no…"  
  
There wasn't a woman on Nemesis who wouldn't willingly fall into   
Demando's arms – or his bed. On rare occasions a girl might put up a   
small, almost token resistance, and it only whetted Demando's   
appetite further. Saffir found himself hoping that Serenity would   
indeed fall to his brother's overwhelming charms and quickly. There   
was nothing Demando wanted more than something he couldn't have.   
  
Striding out of the room, Demando called back over his shoulder.   
"Then let's go little brother. Our ancestors suffered for a thousand   
years, keeping our bloodlines pure while having to pass themselves   
off as those mongrels that now inhabit Earth, all just to be ready   
when the True Prince came once more. Endymion betrayed them and then   
exiled them to this cold, dark world. I think it's time he was the   
one who did the suffering for a change."  
  
Neither of the two men noticed that the ebony fires in the vein of   
black crystal embedded in the wall suddenly burned brighter. From   
inside the stone came two pin-points of light, like eyes in the   
night. For an instant there was the ghostly impression of a figure   
deep within the heart of the giant crystal.   
  
"Indeed, little Prince, the time to act has come at last," the voice   
that echoed harshly in the room held the harsh and grating tones of   
rock being dragged against rock. "Bring the power of the stone of   
illusions to Nemesis."  
  
Dark, ethereal hands pressed against the crystal prison that trapped   
him. "Bring me Serenity so that I may be free once more."  
  
***************************************  
  
It was all a jumble in her mind, a confusing blur of sights and   
sounds that only made her head spin. The people she passed glanced   
with curiosity at the woman in the sailor fuku, wondering if she was   
part of some new marketing campaign. The citizens of Tokyo were long   
used to the excesses to which businesses would go to hawk their wares   
and she was left to amble through the gardens unmolested.   
  
How long she wandered aimlessly, the young woman with the golden hair   
wasn't sure. She simply kept putting one foot in front of the other   
until her shoe snagged in the tangle of vines hidden amongst the other  
wise manicured greenery, caused her to fall to her hands and   
knees. The jarring bump made her close her eyes for a moment to try   
and collect herself enough to think straight.   
  
Venus, yes that's who she was, Sailor Venus. The small revelation   
cheered her considerably. Sky blue eyes snapped open, the fog in them   
abating somewhat. She was Venus, Leader of the Senshi who guarded the   
Princess of the Silver Millennium. Now that she was reasonably sure   
who she was, the next burning question was where was she? The answer   
came on the breeze that carried with it the hauntingly familiar scent  
of flowers and sun-warmed grass. She was on Earth. That idea alarmed  
Sailor Venus more than a little. Her mind was very confused and she   
wasn't sure of much, but Venus did know that Earth was forbidden to   
those of the Moon Kingdom. Why was she here?   
  
"Serenity," Sailor Venus mumbled still on her hands and knees,   
"Serenity…"  
  
The information exploded in her scattered mind like fireworks in the   
night. She was here because she'd followed Princess Serenity when   
the girl had snuck off to see the Earth Prince, Endymion, again. Her   
ability to think was limited by the physical state of her body, but   
Venus knew that Serenity being here with the Prince of Earth was not   
a good thing. That concern would have to wait and Sailor Venus   
stumbled to her feet. Right now her obligation was to Serenity. As   
Leader of the Princess's guardians, Venus knew her duty. She would   
wait here, patiently, until Serenity was finished "visiting" with   
Endymion. Then she'd haul her Princess's royal butt back to the Moon  
and have a few words with her.   
  
Venus ignored the obvious signs that this was not the Golden Kingdom,   
such as the airplane flying overhead and the din raised by a harried   
man as he shouted into his cell phone. Her mind was simply incapable   
of handling the confusing barrage of sights and sounds around her.   
Without realizing it, her mind drifted into a dream-like state, not   
really asleep, but not truly awake. Instinct more than rational   
thought made her melt away into a quiet corner of the park, a small,   
secluded glen well away from the beaten path. At last in a place that  
gave her the quiet she so desperately needed, Sailor Venus stationed  
herself under the shady canopy of an old tree and settled in to wait   
for her Princess.  
  
Her eyes grew distant, her mind turning ever more inward. A faint   
halo enveloped the unmoving form of Sailor Venus. It quickly raced up   
her body, causing her long, blonde hair to lift gently and move in   
the mystic wind. The sign of Venus shone brightly on her forehead   
before the light dwindled away.  
  
"Serenity," she called out. Unable to fight the exhaustion she was   
feeling Venus let her mind drift into a dream like trance.   
"Serenity…"  
  
***************************************  
  
"This waiting is making me nuts," Usagi said, annoyed. She walked in   
a circle around the beautiful courtyard they were in, her nerves not   
allowing her to sit still for very long. "We should have gone with   
the others."   
  
Mamoru smiled where he sat watching her. Of the two of them he had   
always been the more patient. "If Minako needs to be healed before   
she can be moved through Setsuna's Gate, then they'll come and get   
you. I know you don't like this but we only want to keep you safe."  
  
  
"Safe? Safe from what - dangerous crowds of harried housewives? A   
threatening horde of school girls heading for the mall? The   
unspeakable horrors of rush hour?" Usagi threw up her hands and   
rolled her eyes. "We've faced more dangerous enemies than the traffic   
in Tokyo of the past."  
  
That remark made Mamoru narrow his ocean blue eyes. "The danger I'm   
worried about has to do with a certain Prince from Nemesis and his   
nasty habit of showing up wherever we go. I'm not sure just what it   
is the man is really after, but it can't be anything good."  
  
Usagi never stopped her nervous walking, but did give her husband a  
look of disbelief. "Demando isn't evil Mamo-chan; misguided and a   
little impulsive, yes, but not truly evil."  
  
Mamoru had a flash of memory from the battle yesterday. He could see   
the White Prince, rage distorting his features. The words Demando had   
snarled were both a threat and promise.   
  
"I take back what I just said," Mamoru grumbled. "I know a part of   
what Demando's after – you. Did I tell you what he said to me? 'You  
are going to suffer long and slowly, Endymion; die a little at a time.   
You're going to watch as I take your life apart piece by piece and   
make it mine - starting with her.' After a speech like that how could  
I have possibly mistaken Demando for some misanthropic megalomaniac?   
He's not evil, just misunderstood." The Prince of Earth was   
frustrated by the unanswered and frightening questions Demando's   
repeated appearances left him with. His voice never rose in pitch,   
but Usagi could sense the simmering anger behind the words.   
  
"Mamo-chan, haven't you wondered why?" With a sigh, she finally sat   
down beside her husband, taking his hands in hers. "Why is it that   
Demando so set on revenge? There's got be a reason for the way he's   
acting. Once we find out what it is, we can fix things and make them   
right."  
  
The simplicity, the way Usagi cut through everything else and saw the   
core issues made Mamoru pause. This was her gift, he knew, the   
ability to see into a person's soul and more; to find the potential   
for good in them. That strength was also a weakness that made Usagi   
vulnerable. If someone like the White Prince knew Usagi's penchant   
for trying to see the good in people, he could very easily manipulate   
her. That thought frightened Mamoru.   
  
"I'm not sure that's possible," Mamoru finally said. "Demando seems   
to be blinded to anything but his need for vengeance. He may not want   
to see past his own hates."  
  
"Demando was," she paused shaking her head in a slightly confused   
fashion, "Or will be lied to and manipulated by Wiseman. In the last   
moments of his life he saw that there was the possibility of peace   
between Earth and Nemesis after all. I believe that he was basically   
a good person who got caught up in events that spiraled out his   
control."   
  
Her cerulean eyes looked into her husband's, bright and shining with   
hope. "But we can change all that this time. We know about the   
future and we can change it so that Demando doesn't think that war   
with Earth is the only way out. We can save so many lives, stop so   
much suffering before it even happens!"  
  
"Change the future," Mamoru only shook his head. "Do we have the   
right to do that? How do we know that by trying to stop the war with   
the Black Moon Clan we don't end up making things worse in the end?"  
  
"How could anything be worse than the death and destruction we saw   
when Chibi-Usa took us to Crystal Tokyo?" Usagi sounded almost   
desperate. "How can we not try to stop that carnage?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, Mamoru took her hands in his. "We've talked   
about this, Usako. I know you," he smiled gently at her, "I know that   
more than anything you want to avoid a fight with the Black Moon Clan   
and the suffering that will bring.   
  
"Is that so awful?" Crystal blue eyes begged him to deny the truth   
she'd always known but still resisted.  
  
"Our power and our fore-knowledge doesn't give us the right to play   
God. We're talking about affecting the course of two worlds, Earth   
and Nemesis, about changing the way countless lives play out. I don't   
want that kind of responsibility and I don't think you really do   
either." Mamoru let a hand caress her cheek, as if to take some of   
the sting out the words he'd just spoken.  
  
"Mamo-chan…" Usagi started slowly.   
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt," came a lilting female voice. Rei walked   
into the courtyard with Ami, Luna bounding ahead of the two. She   
seemed embarrassed at having caught them in what was obviously a very   
private conversation. "But things have gotten somewhat …complicated."  
  
"You couldn't find Minako-chan?" Usagi said, her voice laced with   
uncertainty. "But Setsuna told us she'd located when and where she   
was, the time of the Dead Moon Circus, right?"  
  
The ebony tail of the tiny cat was swishing back and forth in   
agitation. "Oh it's the correct time period, all right." Luna sighed  
heavily as she jumped up into Usagi's lap. Letting the Queen of the   
Moon Kingdom pet her into a blissful coma sounded really good after   
the morning she'd just had. "Things got a little complicated, however.   
We didn't find Minako. We found Sailor Venus."  
  
"But Minako-chan is Sailor Venus," Usagi said, confused.  
  
Ami gave her a weary smile. "Not right now she isn't."  
  
***************************************  
  
In the sparkling, polished glass of the Aqua Mirror two women could  
be seen. The first was Sailor Venus. The Soldier of Love stood   
proudly, her eyes fixed on a distant point. A closer look showed a   
second, fainter image of a sleeping Aino Minako ghosted just below   
the first. "Look at her fuku," Michiru said softly to the cat beside   
her. She crouched down to pet him as she spoke.   
  
Just as with both Rei and Ami, the long bow in the back and   
transparent sleeves were gone from Sailor Venus. She looked much the   
same as she had when she'd first taken on the mantle of the Soldier   
of Love. There was no denying the subtle power that the unmoving   
Senshi still radiated.  
  
"I suspect that it's just as Ami said," Artemis allowed Michiru to   
run her hands across his snowy coat in a soothing fashion. He wasn't   
sure if she was trying to calm her own nerves, or his. "Every thing   
  
non-essential was burned away during the Spell of Crystal Sleep.   
Minako is who she was meant to be; Venus pure and simple."  
  
As if reacting to the name, the young woman with the golden hair   
threw her head back and let her eyes slip closed. The stillness of   
the afternoon was broken by the faint, eldritch breeze that began to   
move. It ruffled Venus's skirt, played with her hair as it danced up  
and around her body. A subtle glow appeared, joining with the mystic   
winds that moved around the Senshi of Venus.  
  
"She's going to do it again," Haruka grumbled from where she sat on a   
nearby bench.  
  
Sure enough the faint glow didn't abate. It began to pulse steadily,   
as if beating in time with Minako's heart. It raced around her body,   
swirling in a photoelectric ballet that crested when the light   
reached her head.   
  
"Serenity," Minako called out plaintively, her arms opened wide in   
appeal. "Serenity…" The sigil of Venus appeared on Minako's brow,   
burning brightly for an instant before the winds and the power   
carried on it, died away.   
  
Haruka folded her arms across her chest and sighed unhappily. "What   
is taking everyone so long to bring Usagi and Mamoru here? Minako   
can't keep doing her imitation of a lighthouse much longer before   
people are going to start to notice."  
  
"Why didn't her henshin break like the others?" Michiru asked,   
looking deeply into the Mirror once more. "And why is she Sailor   
Venus of the Moon Kingdom and not Aino Minako?"  
  
"Well, all of you do have memories from two lifetimes floating   
around inside your heads, you know. Both Usagi and Mamoru shifted into   
Serenity and Endymion after the accident. Maybe Minako was dreaming   
of the Silver Millennium when the spell of crystal sleep was   
shattered." Artemis paused, round feline eyes suddenly full of   
compassion as he looked at Minako. "Maybe it's because her life as   
Aino Minako wasn't as happy as her life as the Princess of Venus a   
thousand years before. Who among us wouldn't want to forget the bad   
times if we could?"  
  
The slender and skilled fingers of a concert violinist played with   
the snow white coat in an attempt to soothe. "It's the hard times   
that make us grow, Artemis. You should know that better than any of   
us. Sailor V fought alone but it made her strong enough to lead the   
Inner Senshi when the time came, ne?"  
  
The exchange between Michiru and Artemis was soft enough that, from   
the bench, Haruka really couldn't hear it but it didn't matter to her.   
The sun was pleasantly warm and the breeze sweet. The last few days   
have been very rough on all of them and Haruka was tired. She closed   
her eyes for a moment, letting the peace and quiet of the garden ease   
her mind. She only wished it was as easy to alleviate the tension in   
her body.  
  
After a moment warm hands slipped onto her shoulders and began to   
massage them gently. A decadent sigh escaped Haruka's lips and she   
smiled with delight at having some of the knots in her muscles worked   
out. "That feels wonderful, love."  
  
"I'm so glad you're enjoying it." Michiru's voice was sharp with   
annoyance, Haruka noted, and it was coming from in front of her.   
  
One eye cracked open to see Michiru still petting Artemis. If her   
life-mate was across the glen then who was rubbing her shoulders?   
Slowly the blonde tilted her head back until she saw who it was.   
Long, blue hair pulled back into a ponytail that ran halfway down his   
back, Fisheye gave Haruka a mischievous grin.  
  
"If you were my boy friend then I'd never leave you sitting on a park  
bench all alone in such a romantic setting, like she does," the   
minion of the Dark Moon Circus cooed. This person looked so much more interesting than the artist Zirconia had sent her to investigate –   
and cuter, too! The man who drew fairies could wait a few minutes.   
  
"Hello, do I know you?" Haruka asked in a bemused voice.   
  
Fisheye gave Michiru a cursory glance and looked once at the strange   
woman in the Venus costume. The blonde didn't seem to notice the   
smallest of the Amazon Trio at all, just kept staring off into space.   
Satisfied that she was nothing more than another one of those space-  
case, Sailor Senshi wannabe's that occasionally popped up in Tokyo,   
Fisheye gave a coy giggle and settled comfortably against a flustered  
Haruka.   
  
"Forget about her," he nodded in Michiru's direction. "I could be so   
much better for you, handsome boy. Let me prove it to you."  
  
Before Haruka could protest Fisheye leaned into a deep and passionate   
kiss. The dainty tool of evil slipped his arms around Haruka and   
pulled her close. As Fisheye rubbed himself against Haruka a mutually   
shocking discovery was made.  
  
Fisheye pulled away from Haruka as if he'd been burned. "You're a   
woman!"   
  
"And you're not," Haruka gave a shudder of disgust as she realized   
that she'd just been kissed by a man. She made a gagging noise and   
shoved the still gaping Fisheye from her lap. The blue haired she-  
male tumbled to the ground with a cry of indignation, taking Haruka   
with him. That Haruka could hear Michiru laughing at her predicament   
did not help her any. "This isn't funny!"  
  
"On the contrary, this is turning out to be very amusing," Michiru   
replied, bringing a hand up to her mouth to try and stifle the   
laughter.   
  
"Don't you laugh at me," Fisheye was furious and embarrassed by   
turns. "I'm not used to being made a fool of like this!"   
  
"Really? So, how do you usually make a fool of yourself?" Michiru   
gave her "rival" a look of scorn. She was going to teach this hussy   
a lesson. "May I suggest that if you're going to keep kissing total   
strangers than being considered a fool is an idea that you should get comfortable with."  
  
"I am Fisheye of the Amazon Trio and no one plays tricks on me." The   
delicate man snapped his fingers once. A curtain appeared out of thin   
air and unrolled. It snapped back up and disappeared an instant   
later. Gone was the dress and in its place was Fisheye's usual, blue   
body suit. If he expected his sudden transformation to inspire fear   
or awe, he was about to be disappointed yet again.  
  
"Oh dear…latex is not a good look for you," Michiru clucked her   
tongue in elegant disgust. "And who's your fashion designer, the   
Michelin Man?"   
  
The eyes of the smallest of the Amazon Trio were hard and cold. He   
glanced once, dismissively, at Michiru then looked down at the still   
prone and very confused Haruka. He snapped his fingers. "I'll bet   
that your dreams are very interesting. I think I'll just have a look   
into them. One…"  
  
Haruka found herself being lifted abruptly from the ground by   
something hard and flat. "What the hell…?"  
  
"Two…"  
  
The tall blonde blinked in surprise as she was shackled in place by  
cold metal cuffs at the wrists and ankles. The contraption she was   
bound to was pulling her energy from her. Haruka found that she   
couldn't concentrate enough to call her henshin wand.  
  
"Th…" Before he could finish the incantation that would rip a part of   
Haruka's soul out of her, Artemis launched himself at Fisheye with a   
feline growl. The delicate man stumbled backwards and shrieked in   
panic, his phobia about cats taking hold of him. Artemis raked his   
very sharp claws across Fisheye's forehead, opening a pair of deep   
gouges.  
  
"Aarrgghh!" with a high pitched scream of both fear and pain the   
smallest of the Amazon Trio grabbed the white cat and flung him away  
as hard as he could. "Getoffmegetoffmegetoffme!"  
  
Thin trickles of blood were running into his eyes and the inky but   
ineffectual minion of the Dark Moon Circus was blinded by it for a   
moment. He ran one hand across his face, blinking to clear his   
vision. When at last he could see again he was in for a surprise.  
  
Standing before him was a woman in the fuku of a soldier of the White   
Moon Kingdom. "My guardian world is the planet with the sea of sand.   
I am the Soldier of Embrace!"  
  
Like the creature he was named for, all Fisheye could do was gape a   
growing sense of shock that was compounded when a white rose whistled  
by his head. It sank into the board that was holding Haruka. A burst   
of golden fire came from it, the magics of Earth disrupting the spell  
of imprisonment that held Haruka. The shackles shattered with a loud   
crack and the tall, lanky blonde tumbled to the ground.  
  
"My guardian planet floats in time and space," said Setsuna from   
beside Tuxedo Kamen. "I am the Soldier with the blessings of the   
underworld!"  
  
"I burn with the desire for justice," Rei declared, leaping into join   
the small, but growing, group surrounding Fisheye. "The Soldier of   
Fire, Sailor Mars is here!"  
  
Completing the box that now trapped the small man in the rubber suit,   
Ami now appeared. "I am the Soldier of Wisdom. Sailor Mercury will   
cool your head with the power of water!"  
  
The Senshi did know how to make an entrance, Mamoru had to admit.   
"The dreams of a loving heart are precious. I, Tuxedo Kamen, will not   
allow you to violate them!" His entrances however, he mused   
unhappily, still needed some work.  
  
There were Senshi to the right of Fisheye, Senshi to the left of him  
and that really annoying (but very cute in those tight trousers   
Fisheye couldn't help but notice) masked man who fought with the   
Sailor Soldiers, all looking for a fight. It was then that the   
smallest of the Amazon Trio decided that someone who drew fairies   
sounded like a much better target than the stunned blonde on the   
ground. He made a strange motion over his head with his hands and a   
hole in the fabric of reality opened up above him.   
  
"I am Fisheye of the Amazon Trio and I am totally out of here," he  
moaned loudly, leaping with amazing agility up and into the watery   
circle he'd summoned.   
  
The flames that had briefly wreathed Rei's hands died away as she let   
the power of Mars withdraw back into her body. Her eyes were riveted   
on the unmoving form of Sailor Venus. "I don't suppose someone would   
like to tell me what this was all about?"  
  
Haruka was getting to her feet and she blushed hotly, sensing   
Neptune's eyes on her. Michiru was not going to let her forget this   
little episode any time soon. "Actually no, that wouldn't be my first   
choice."  
  
***************************************  
  
  
She was a vision in that white gown. One that Demando enjoyed   
watching. The way the dress shimmered to life then flowed over her   
frame as it replaced the more mundane clothing she wore was   
enthralling. There was an instant between one step and the next when   
he caught a tantalizing glimpse of her naked body. But Serenity's   
beauty alone wasn't what held the interest of the White Prince. As   
the undisputed ruler of the Black Moon Clan he had his pick of   
desirable women. The fascination for the queen of Earth was two fold.   
First there was the power she radiated; that brilliant shining energy   
that fed the source of Demando's power, the Jakozuishou. Second, and   
for Demando, the most important, was the look on Endymion's face as he   
watched Serenity. That the Neo-King held his Queen so foolishly close   
to his heart made the desire to take her from him even more   
compelling for the White Prince. The pain Serenity's loss would cause   
Endymion would be almost as sweet as the pleasure Demando would take   
in the moment of her inevitable surrender to his charms.  
  
"Now, my Prince?" came the anxious voice of Crimson Rubeus. He, too,   
looked at the group on the other side of the portal with hungry eyes.  
"With the amount of droids we have we can take them all easily."  
  
The lust driving Rubeus was for the power and recognition that a   
defeat of the Senshi would gain him. The slights and scorn he had   
endured as the love child of a nobleman's mistress made him bitter.   
Rubeus was driven by the compulsion to prove that he was better than   
anyone else around him and by the need for revenge. Once Crimson   
Rubeus had the power and status he longed for, he'd make those who   
had tormented him as a boy pay dearly. Those dreams vengeance made   
his eyes shine brightly with anticipation.  
  
Demando had to suppress a smile at the look on the face of the feral  
man with the red hair. He knew exactly what drove Rubeus and although   
he'd never admit it to Saffir, he felt some sympathy for the man. For   
all his lofty title, Demando was also a child born outside the bonds   
of matrimony. His mother had, in a last desperate act decreed by the   
Elders, allowed herself to be impregnated in order that his people   
might have the True Prince they so longed for.   
  
"Patience Rubeus," Demando said, carefully watching Endymion. The   
look on his rival's face as he watched Serenity use her power spoke   
of a man who knew the value of the treasure he possessed. Her loss   
was going to hurt Endymion a great deal and Demando found that   
thought satisfying.  
  
Serenity was encased in a soft, silver glow and she gently reached   
out to touch the unmoving woman in the fuku. The White Prince looked   
at the others in the glen and noticed that Endymion had, as   
anticipated, stepped back from his Queen as she used her power. This   
was the moment that Demando had been waiting for. He spoke to Rubeus   
over his shoulder, never taking his eyes from Serenity.  
  
"You may start your attack now. Saffir, you're with me. I have a   
prize to collect."  
  
"I thought the plan was to…" his brother teleported away too fast to   
hear Saffir. "…let the droids taken on the Senshi first before we go in."  
  
Muttering a soft curse under his breath at the White Prince's   
impetuousness, Saffir slipped the proto-gate's control panel into his   
pocket. His belief in his own destiny as the future King of Earth,   
the confidence Demando displayed so forcefully, was part of his regal   
mystique as ruling Prince of Nemesis. Saffir wondered if he as the   
only one who saw the potential danger that Demando's supreme self   
confidence, although it boarded on arrogance at times, could bring?   
Demando was much too valuable to risk in this fashion. Teleporting   
after his brother, Saffir wondered how he could possibly get that   
point across in a manner that the White Prince would listen to.   
  
There only an instant's warning for Mamoru, the all too brief sensing  
of the dark power of the Jakozuishou that radiated from Demando.   
Before he had time to do more than turn in Usagi's direction, the   
White Prince materialized only a few feet from him. The teleport had   
been carefully planned and Demando now stood between the Neo-King of   
Earth and his Queen. In back of the two men   
a wall of dark energy sprang up, cutting Mamoru off from the others.  
  
"I hope you don't mind," Demando drawled lazily, "but I've taken the   
liberty of making sure that you and I aren't interrupted. If you're a  
good, little despot, then we might finish our business before all of   
your Senshi are killed by Rubeus and the droids he brought with him.   
I'll just take Serenity and be on my way."  
  
"You don't really think that I'm going to let you do that?" Mamoru   
tried to sound more confident than he felt. A glance told him that   
Usagi was still locked away inside herself, lost in the healing   
magics of the Ginzuishou.   
  
Black fire ran along Demando's body, moved into his hands. "Actually   
no," he said with a vicious grin, "I'm rather hoping you'll give me   
the chance to hurt you."   
  
A blast of dark energy erupted from the White Prince's raised palm.   
It writhed and twisted like a living creature as it raced for Mamoru.   
He leapt into the air but it followed his every move. A handful of   
white roses were tossed, each finding their target. The power of   
earth inherent in the flowers managed to redirect some of the   
Jakozuishou's fire but not all of it. A portion of the blast caught   
Mamoru in the side. It picked him up like a toy and tossed him even   
further away from where an oblivious Usagi was healing Venus. While  
he was on the ground, stunned, two droids appeared and firmly held   
the Prince of Earth down.   
  
"Is that the best you can do? I was expecting more of a challenge,"   
the White Prince laughed loudly as he watched his rival struggle   
against the silent droids. Demando began to walk towards Usagi.   
"Where is Endymion, the mighty warrior king I was raised on tales of?   
You're pathetic!"  
  
The wind had been knocked out of Mamoru and his head was buzzing from   
the force of the blast. Demando could use any weapon against Mamoru   
that he chose to. Tuxedo Kamen was fettered by his knowledge of the   
future and the role Demando was destined to play. As he struggle   
against the droids that held him brutally pinned down, Mamoru tried   
to buy time in which to gather his strength and formulate some kind   
of plan to get out this mess.   
  
"Why are you doing this? Why do you hate us so much?" Mamoru called  
out. He opened his link to the Golden Crystal, alarmed to sense that   
the dark energies of the Black Poison Crystal were siphoning away its   
power as fast as he called on it.   
  
Rage suffused the handsome face of the Prince of Nemesis. "Why?   
Haven't you figured it out yet, Endymion? Are you really that stupid?"   
He was mortally insulted that the King of Earth had no clue as to who  
he truly was. He stopped, turning back to face Mamoru. "I am the   
instrument of vengeance for those you betrayed. They gave up   
everything for you, waited a thousand years and suffered beyond   
comprehension just to ensure your rule when you came again. And how  
did you repay that noble sacrifice? You turned your back on them   
and then drove them from Earth into exile on a dark, barren world."  
  
Mamoru knew that Demando and his people had grievances against Earth.   
But the depth of the raw hatred, the almost irrational anger   
surprised him. What was worse was the nagging suspicion that he   
suddenly knew just where the Black Moon Clan had come from.   
  
"The Sons of the Golden Kingdom," there was such shock with the   
knowledge that the words slipped from Mamoru's lips unbidden.   
  
Royal purple eyes narrowed at the name and Demando's voice dropped to   
a dangerous whisper. "That's what we were called once upon a time but   
when we came to Nemesis we took another name, one that better suited  
our current situation. Some things haven't changed though. The True   
Prince will rule Earth and I am the True Prince, the Hope of a   
Thousand Years, the rightful Heir to Elysion not you. I will have   
everything you possess because it is mine by right!"  
  
He turned abruptly and took the last few steps to where Usagi was   
healing Minako. The black energies of the Jakozuishou slithered   
around his hands and he used the power to roughly shove Venus from   
Usagi's arms. She gasped, her eyes going wide with shock as the   
healing trance was jarringly interrupted. Demando pulled a still   
dazed Usagi firmly but surprisingly gently to her feet.  
  
"Watch as I take your Queen from you," Unable to resist the urge to   
torment his enemy, the White Prince pulled her close. "I'm going to   
make her mine in every possible way. I know how to give a woman what   
she needs, Endymion. Soon you'll be little more than an unpleasant   
memory to her."  
  
Demando slowly and deliberately dipped his head to find Usagi's lips.   
His hands roamed first onto her back then down her body, teasing and   
caressing. Usagi gave a jerk as she suddenly fully awoke to find   
Demando all over her.   
  
Putting both hands on his shoulders she pushed him away. "What do you  
think you're doing?!"  
  
"Don't touch her!" Tuxedo Kamen struggled vainly against the   
constructs that held him down.   
  
The White Prince used his hand to cup Usagi's chin gently. He gave   
her his most charming smile. "You have such beautiful eyes, Serenity.  
I have to wonder if the rest of you is as fair? It'll be such fun to   
find out."  
  
Usagi felt her cheeks turn red with embarrassment and anger. She   
pulled her hand back to slap him across the face. The White Prince   
deftly caught it, giving a small amused laugh at her action.   
  
"You've made your token protest and honor has been satisfied. Now you  
can give into me with a clean conscience. You should be with me Angel,   
it's destiny. I am the Prince of the Black Moon, you the Princess of   
  
the White Moon. You belong with me." He nuzzled her neck. "I'll make   
sure that you never regret leaving Endymion."  
  
"You think I'm just going to leave everything and go with you?"   
Getting madder by the second, Usagi was almost dumbfounded by how   
sure of himself Demando was. Hadn't anyone ever said no to the man,   
"Just because you asked me to?"  
  
"Of course," the White Prince arched an eyebrow at her. He leaned   
closer once more, whispering in her ear with a seductive purr. "Don't  
fight what you know you really want, Serenity. Just give in."  
  
The smug look on his face made Usagi narrow her eyes and hiss with a   
building rage, "You know, what I really want to do right now is –   
this!" Usagi's knee flashed up and into the crotch of the   
meticulously tailored white pants. Giving a small, strangled gasp   
the White Prince of Nemesis fell to his knees then over onto the  
ground, in more pain than he'd have thought possible from a single   
blow.  
  
The wall of night, maintained by the power of the Jakozuishou,   
started to thin when Demando fell, his control broken along with his   
ability to think clearly. The war that was raging behind it was now   
dimly visible. The other Sailor Senshi were blasting, freezing,   
pummeling, searing and in Uranus's case, hacking to bits the dozen   
battle droids under the command of Crimson Rubeus.   
  
Saffir, who had watched across the glen, observed his brother's   
attempts to charm the Neo-Queen of Earth. He was too far away to see   
clearly. All Saffir knew was the one moment Demando was talking to   
Serenity and the next the White Prince was falling to the ground.   
Shocked and frightened, he began to run to where his brother lay   
twitching. It was his frenzied call that sent the situation over the   
edge of the abyss and into total chaos.  
  
"Protect Prince Demando!"  
  
The first of the two battle droids holding Mamoru down moved with   
unnatural speed. Screaming with rage it launched itself straight at   
Usagi. Before anyone could do more than blink the monster caught her   
by the throat with a hand and slammed her to the ground, the force of   
the blow stunning Usagi. The hand around her throat closed tightly,   
threatening to crush her windpipe and making it impossible for her to   
breathe, never mind call out her henshin phrase. All Usagi could do   
was look up at the droid and feebly pluck at the hand that was   
strangling her. The construct's other hand morphed into razor sharp   
claws. It pulled the hand back preparing for a lethal strike.  
  
"No! Tuxedo Kamen struggled wildly against the remaining construct   
that held him down, cold panic lancing through him.   
  
He could feel his link to Earth strengthen the moment Demando went  
down, the energies of the Golden Crystal once more singing inside   
him. A burst of amber fire sent the other droid rocketing away from   
the Prince of Earth, but his attention was fully focused on the night-  
mare unfolding before him. He knew with sick certainty that he would   
never get to Usagi in time. In desperation Mamoru opened his  
bond to the Golden Crystal to its fullest and slammed both hands down  
to the ground. His body exploded with amber fire and the great power   
of Earth responded to the call of its master. Still on his knees, his   
eyes burning with the eldritch fires he commanded, Mamoru reached out   
with his arms. The ground around Usagi churned, rising with a   
terrible groan. The monster of soil and stone lunged in eerie   
symmetry to Tuxedo Kamen's movements. It snatched the droid into its   
gaping maw, crushing the creature to dust, but leaving Usagi   
untouched.   
  
Sweat was running into Mamoru's eyes as he tried to focus once more  
and move against the other droid that was closing in on his beloved.   
His body, however, had reached its limit and the world spun in   
circles. The best Mamoru could do right now was use a trembling hand   
to call one of his roses. He pulled his arm back, threw it with all   
the strength he could muster but knew that he was too far away from   
Usagi to save her this time.  
  
He was too far away, but the Leader of the Inner Senshi was not.   
  
Sailor Venus had shaken off the shock of the ruptured healing and   
gotten to her feet. She raised her arm, calling out in the ancient   
dialect of the Moon Kingdom. "Holy blade that protects our Princess,  
come to my hand!"  
  
Even as she moved, leaping in the air with breath taking grace and   
agility, a sword of light shimmered into existence before her. Venus   
grasped the hilt of the shining, crystalline blade with both hands.   
There was no hesitation, no waste of time or energy. Sailor Venus   
used her momentum to meet the creature as it was on its downward arc.   
She rammed the sword into the monster, the impossibly sharp blade   
slicing deeply into the metallic body. The blade gave a burst of blue   
white light and neatly vaporized the droid. She landed in front of  
her Princess, standing guard over a wheezing Usagi.  
  
In the meantime Saffir helped the still gasping Demando carefully up.   
The White Prince couldn't stand up straight yet and without his   
brother's help would have fallen back to the ground. He grabbed   
Saffir by the shoulder, trying desperately to collect his wits.  
  
"No," Demando's normally deep voice was thin and reedy with pain. He   
resisted Saffir's attempts to move him away from the fight. "I'm…I'm   
not leaving without my prize!"   
  
"Please, Onii-san, listen to me. You're too important to risk losing   
this way." Saffir's only thought was for his brother's safety.  
  
A glance showed him that the dozen droids Rubeus had taken into   
battle were gone. The barrier held in place by Demando's will was   
continuing to thin. It would dissipate completely in a few, short   
seconds and the Senshi would be free to come after them. Endymion was   
stumbling to take Serenity in his arms, rage burning in the ocean   
blue eyes as he looked at Demando. Sailor Venus still had the blade   
in her hands and turned to face both the White Prince and his  
brother. She brought the shining sword down and pointed it directly   
at them, challenge in her stance.  
  
"I won't let Endymion win!" Demando snarled, fighting the idea that   
Saffir was right. He'd never been rejected by a woman in quite this   
fashion before and more than the White Prince's pride was wounded   
right now.   
  
"He can only win if you let him." The situation was completely out of   
hand and it was time to leave. If that made Demando angry then Saffir   
would gladly face his wrath – later when he was safely back on  
Nemesis. "Fighting when you're hurt can only give Endymion the   
advantage he needs to best you. Don't let him manipulate you like   
this."   
  
If anyone else but his brother had said those words… Demando gave a   
low growl of pain and anger. Saffir was right; Saffir was always   
right and just occasionally it was irritating to be reminded of that.   
The White Prince looked over at where Crimson Rubeus was surrounded   
by Senshi. There was the temptation to let the arrogant Rubeus learn   
a lesson in over confidence the hard way, but Demando decided against  
it at the last moment. He, too, had just learned a lesson in under   
estimating the enemy. It was time to rethink the way the war against   
Endymion would play out.  
  
"Rubeus, come!" the White Prince snapped and like an obedient dog the   
vicious man with the red hair was teleported to his side. He   
considered, for an instant, attempting to take Serenity this way.   
  
The golden haired Queen of Earth was coughing and gasping, struggling   
to breathe in her husband's arms. Demando could see bruises all ready   
forming where the droid had throttled her. Endymion placed a hand on   
her, golden energy flowing into Serenity. Almost at once she seemed   
to breathe easier. A full scale battle could very easily hurt her and   
Demando was somewhat surprised to find that the idea of her being   
injured bothered him.   
  
"Let's go," he said his eyes hard at the sight of Serenity relaxing   
so totally into Endymion's embrace. "This isn't over Endymion. If it   
takes me a thousand years I will do what I've vowed. I'm going to   
take everything you cherish and make it mine. Run back to your   
crystal palace and hide for all the good it will do you."  
  
Demando nodded to Saffir who reached into his pocket and took out the   
controls for the proto-gate. He gave the King of Earth a wicked  
smile. You're not the only one with access to alien technology, you   
see. There's no where you can go that I can't follow. Enjoy your   
treasures, King of Earth. They won't be yours much longer."  
  
The burst of light that erupted washed everyone and everything in the  
glen with a blinding blue white glare. The dancing luminescence   
settled slowly into a rectangular shape. Demando, Saffir and Rubeus   
were silhouetted harshly against the pure, white light before they   
moved into the doorway. It was over in an instant, and when the long   
golden sunlight of afternoon once more filled the garden, the   
children of the Black Moon were gone.   
  
"Was that what I think it was?" Mercury asked, not really wanting to   
know the answer.  
  
Gritting her teeth as she closed her eyes, Pluto was unable to deny   
what her senses were telling her. There was the lingering and   
unmistakable feeling of a harmonic resonance signature vibrating   
through her body that could be left by only one thing. "Oh yes, that   
was a Gate." She cocked her head to one side, using her psychic   
senses to their fullest. "A proto-gate, to be exact."   
  
"Wait a minute," Mars sounded outraged. She looked at Setsuna as   
though Pluto was personally responsible for the dilemma she was now   
coming to grips with. "I thought you said that only the S'Eyre have  
this technology and they're so compulsively paranoid about it that   
you almost never see a Gate outside of their territory?!"  
  
"It gets better," Setsuna raised her hands in frustration. "Demando  
is using a proto-gate that shouldn't be able to move more than one   
or two people at once, never mind moving himself and a pack of droids   
through time. What they are doing is totally unachievable by every   
standard I know of. What just happened here is unfeasible and utterly   
impossible."  
  
Finally letting the crystal sword melt back into the mystic void that   
housed it, Venus blinked several time. Thanks to the healing magics   
of the Ginzuishou, Aino Minako was starting emerge and reassert   
herself. Looking around the blonde still seemed a little confused.   
"So, what does that mean in plain Japanese?"   
  
"I'll tell you what it means," a bitter bark of laughter came from   
Haruka. She'd known Setsuna long enough to recognize the look on her   
face. That Pluto was this frightened was not a good thing.   
  
"It means we're in deep trouble."  
  
Next in Chapter Six: Oh yes, they are all in very deep trouble!   
Makoto is wandering around Tokyo during the time of Galaxia and her   
star-seed stealing animates, Death Phantom takes the art of talking   
to yourself to a whole new level and Demando gains a mysterious new   
adviser. The clever but creepy soothsayer will show the White Prince  
how to get what he wants – revenge against Endymion and possession of   
the Neo-King's wife! 


	7. Chapter Six

I am very blessed in my two Beta-Readers, Masked Maiden and Donnar-I.  
These two always manage to find the places where I left a hole in the  
plot or where I haven't made what I'm trying to do clear enough to   
the reader. They take time out of their hectic lives to do this and   
I wanted to thank them for their generosity of spirit and the gift of  
their friendship!  
  
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the attendant  
character to which valid copyright laws apply. They are used here   
without any expectation of gain other than the occasional fan letter.  
Some of the original characters created for this story, such as the   
S'Eyre and the Sons of the Golden Kingdom are the products of warped   
and twisted little mind. Please ask permission if you'd like to use   
them in a story of your own.  
  
  
*****************************  
  
"The Quest"   
  
Chapter Six  
  
By Meara  
  
"Nothing and silence follow me." Wiseman, episode 86  
  
*****************************  
  
Nemesis was shattered world. Roughly shaped and oblong, it had   
traveled through the silent, frigid depth of space for a thousand   
years. The planet itself was no more than a mass of dark crystal   
covered by a thin layer of desiccated soil. The Black Poison Crystal   
was the source of power that allowed those who lived on the small,   
dark moon to survive there. For the one who existed at the heart of   
the tiny, barren world, the Jakozuishou was life itself. And like the   
world to which the creature was bound, he too was a shattered soul.  
  
At the core of the planet was a crystalline chamber. There were three   
walls inside this stone womb each with a smooth, polished surface. A   
ball of dark crystal was suspended in the air in the middle of the   
chamber, spinning in slow circles. It gave off a sickly, greenish-  
black glow and as it moved that light was cast briefly on each of the   
dark mirrors.   
  
Reflected inside the first and largest of the walls was a cloaked   
figure. He stood upright, his tattered robe of night flowing around   
his skeletal body. Held firmly in his grasp was a reflection of a   
crystal ball. The second figure was similar to the first, but seated.   
His strange, mottled hands moved in endless circles around the dark   
globe between them but never touched it. The last and smallest of the   
mirror-like walls held the image a man who appeared to be human. He   
stood motionless and silent most of the time, not even attempting to   
grasp the crystalline sphere that floated in lazy circles in front of   
him.   
  
The creature that appeared in the three mirrors was, in reality, a   
single entity. A thousand years ago he had been bound and sealed by   
the power of the Ginzuishou to this place. When Sailor Saturn's Glaive   
had shattered Nemesis, he had suffered the same fate as the world he   
was so intimately tied to. Three distinct personalities were trapped   
in one tortured soul. Death Phantom was the dominant personality, the   
one who set the goals. Wiseman acted to achieve those goals but was   
always subservient to his "master", Death Phantom. Kunshin Tetsu was   
the weakest of the triumvirate. It was he who held the memories of the   
past and future, of their shared history. He hoarded that knowledge   
tightly to himself. Overshadowed most of the time by Death Phantom   
and Wiseman, he refused to share what he knew willingly. That forced   
Death Phantom to make his plans based on the fragments of memories he   
was able to rip out of Tetsu. Because of that Kunshin would wake only   
rarely, screaming out his feelings of rage and betrayal like an insane  
child in the moments before being smothered by the more dominant   
characters.  
  
Those who now infested Death Phantom's world, the Black Moon Clan,   
served the purpose for which they had been called. Their undying   
hate and relentless thirst for a bloody vengeance fed the creature   
that existed in the crystalline heart of Nemesis. Death Phantom   
absorbed the dark energy greedily, trying to gain enough power to   
fully emerge from his millennia long hibernation and once against   
take up his great quest.  
  
Silence was everything to him. It was his greatest desire, his   
burning passion, his longed for savior. He hated the cacophony of   
sounds that ran in circles inside his broken mind, all shouting and   
tearing at him at the same time. The noise was an abomination, an   
obscene parody of the way things were meant to be. The truth of his   
existence could be answered only in silence and towards that end he   
worked now as he had for the past thousand years.   
  
The whole of his past was in three, separate and unequal pieces tied   
together by the one desire - silence. The crystal ball in the center   
of the chamber was the touchstone, the link that kept the three   
aspects of his personality in contact. The slow, steady pulse of   
green fire that roiled inside the crystalline sphere changed abruptly.   
It burned more brightly, casting light on the image of Death Phantom.   
Inside his stone prison he motioned with one hand.  
  
"My servant, Wiseman, come forth."  
  
The black rocked on the floor of the stone womb slithered and oozed.   
It began to rise, slowly taking the desired form, that of a vaguely   
human shape. The shadows in this place gathered together until they   
draped the stone figure in a cloak of night. Hands the same color and   
texture as the crystal around him began to move. They circled the   
glowing ball, endlessly caressing, yet never touching it. From within   
the tattered robe of shadows two pin points of light burned brightly.  
  
"I hear your call, my Master," the whispered voice from the stone man   
was rough and grating. "How may I serve you, almighty Death Phantom?"  
  
Harsh laughter bounced off the walls of the stone womb. "I can feel   
it, the limitless energy of the stone of Illusions. It has touched me   
again, closer and stronger this time. I must have it. I must have the   
power of the Ginzuishou and you will help me in this task my unworthy   
servant. Go now and introduce yourself to Prince Demando."  
  
"I can feel his hatred and jealously from here," Wiseman commented.   
"Such powerful negative emotions feed you well Master, but Demando is   
only a feeble mortal. Will he truly serve the purpose?"  
  
"He will do for now. Demando is ready to be guided by you, Wiseman.   
Tempt him with the power of the stone of illusions that he may desire   
it. Show Demando the beauty of the one who holds it that he may   
desire her even more. Do what you must but have him bring Serenity   
and the Ginzuishou to Nemesis. I need the power of the White Moon if   
I am to break the seal that holds me here. Go!"  
  
"I exist to serve you, my Master," the form of the being known as   
Wiseman shuddered, then collapsed in on itself. It became an oily   
mist that slithered into the nearest vein of Black Poison Crystal and  
headed for the surface. The crystalline mirror that had held his   
image was now dark and vacant.   
  
Inside the largest mirror Death Phantom was being swallowed up by the   
green and purple shadows of the Black Poison Crystal. He looked once   
at the spot where the faint image of Kunshin Tetsu lay sleeping and   
smiled. "Only when I wed the brilliant power of the Ginzuishou to that  
of the Jakozusho will I have the mastery over time and space that will  
allow me to fulfill my great quest. I will bring perfection to the   
universe."   
  
The creature inside the crystal pressed his hand against the rock   
that held him fast. The other facets of his broken mind would sleep   
now that Wiseman was active. Death Phantom relished the sweet solitude   
of oblivion as he allowed Wiseman to take control. His last words were  
whispered like a prayer.  
  
"Bring me the Ginzuishou and the one who holds it, that I may be free  
once more."  
  
***************************************  
  
"Problems?" Goruden Kobushi responded to Mamoru's question but was   
distracted by the feeling of Minako's skin as he casually ran a hand   
down the length of her arm. The delighted shiver she gave at the   
contact encouraged him to continue. "What kind of problems?"  
  
Kobushi had a look on his face, a rapt attention to the woman he had   
an arm casually draped over that spoke of a man head over heels in   
love. He played with strands of Minako's long, golden hair, enjoying   
feel of the silken mass as he let it slip through his fingers. She,   
in turn, would lean back into his comfort of his arms, giving a soft   
sigh of contentment.   
  
"When the Sons finally figured out that I was Endymion, how did they   
take that news? Was there any dissention?" Mamoru wondered if he'd   
ever looked that obviously love struck.   
  
"Waiting for a legendary figure to reappear is one thing," Michiru   
tried to keep the comment light. As much as she and Haruka   
distrusted Goruden Kobushi, she had to admit there was a faint but   
unmistakable resemblance between the man and Mamoru that went beyond   
facial features. Both were tall and had the same build, moved in a   
similar way. Michiru found herself wondering if Usagi had noticed.   
"Actually having the living, breathing Endymion before you is another.  
I imagine that after a thousand years there had to be other people   
within your group who saw themselves as the 'True Prince'."  
  
Goruden Kobushi grimaced at the memory. "Yes, there was some   
dissention among one of the more strident factions within the Sons.   
There are always those who political aspirations or delusions of   
grandeur made them think that they'd be the one who sat on the throne   
of Earth once the seal on the Golden Crystal was broken."  
  
Haruka stood in the shade of a large tree. She made it a point to   
always know where Goruden Kobushi was and what he was up to. Despite   
what Usagi and Mamoru thought about the man she had her doubts about   
him.   
  
"Weren't you one of the people that your elders suspected might be   
the 'True Prince'?"  
  
Kobushi barely glanced over his shoulder at her. "Well, yes but there  
were also about a dozen others who were considered candidates. We   
were supposed to be direct descendants of the Princes of the Golden   
Kingdom. They called us the 'Circle of the Chosen' and the Elders   
usually spread the lot of us across the planet as a measure of   
safety. Both Kunshin Tetsu and I lived in the same city, Tokyo and   
it made the Elders very nervous. They were forever at Kunshin to move  
to Yokohama but he kept telling them no. That only made them pressure   
him all the harder. The Elders were used to getting their way and   
could be very… insistent." Kobushi knew that the open favor the   
Elders had shown him was source of resentment for Kunshin Tetsu; one   
that festered into a deep, abiding hatred. The irony of it all was   
that Kobushi had never wanted the crown of Earth.  
  
"Actually," Goruden continued, "I'm just as glad that you returned   
when you did, my Prince. I have no desire to be the King of Earth,   
thank you very much. And they really wanted me to have the job," he   
flushed slightly, looking at his Prince. "Not that being King of   
Earth isn't a great thing, Mamoru-san. It's just that I have other   
plans for my life."  
  
"So do I," Mamoru had to laugh at the comment. "I was in my last   
year of residency before becoming a doctor when all hell broke loose.   
No matter what the future holds I am not about to give that part of   
my life up."  
  
"Do those plans include Minako, Kobushi?" Usagi asked slyly. Happily   
married she now wanted all of her friends to experience the joys of   
matrimony.  
  
A bright crimson flush spread across the elegant features of Aino   
Minako. "Usagi-chan!"  
  
In a gallant gesture Kobushi took her hand and a placed a sweet kiss   
on the palm, "Nothing would please me more than to spend my life   
worshipping at the altar of my goddess of love."  
  
"Oh, Kobu-chan that is so sweet," Minako cooed, turning her head to   
look up at him.   
  
He pulled her into his lap, bending over to capture her lips with his  
own in a tender yet passionate kiss. "Ah, but so true my Mina-ko."  
  
"Mamo-chan," Usagi leaned over to whisper in her husband's ear, "If   
you want to ask him anything else you'd better hurry. In about two   
minutes they won't even know we're here anymore."   
  
If her comment registered Mamoru gave no sign of it. He leaned   
forward, elbows on his knees and his hands clasped tightly together   
under his chin. "There were only a dozen in this Circle of the Chosen?   
That seems like a dangerously small number of potential 'princes'   
when the Sons placed so much importance on the True Prince. Weren't   
your Elders afraid that a single mishap or illness could thin your   
gene pool down to unacceptable levels?"  
  
The scent of Minako's perfume, jasmine, flooded his senses when she   
snuggled closer to him. "No," he waved his hand in a distracted   
fashion, fidgeting slightly in his seat to get more comfortable. He   
absently wondered if Minako had a clue what she did to him. Somehow,  
he doubted it. "Not since cryogenics became reliable. The Elders   
have…" he paused suddenly realizing what he was about to say. "…have  
samples from each of us. They're kept in a secure location just   
incase we die before we could produce children."  
  
"Samples?" Usagi was confused. The words tumbled out before she could   
stop them. "What kind of samples?"  
  
"A sperm bank?" That brought a bark of ribald laughter from Haruka.   
"God, but you Sons really do know how to take all the joy out life.   
What do they do, hand you a cup and tell you to think of Earth?"  
  
"Did they make all those in the Circle of the Chosen do that?" Mamoru   
tried to sound nonchalant but it was difficult. If the Black Moon   
Clan really were the descendants of the Sons, then that raised a   
number of very unpleasant questions in Mamoru's mind. He could feel   
Usagi staring at him. Damn but it was hard to keep things from her!   
  
"Did the Elders make all of those in the Circle of the Chosen do   
that?" Mamoru repeated, trying not to sound urgent.   
  
"Well, you have to understand that we were raised not to question an  
order given by one of the Elders. We were taught that we were   
different from the rest of mankind and as such, had a higher duty.   
Part and parcel of that duty was obedience." The bright red flush   
that was creeping across Kobushi's face was answer enough.   
  
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Minako put in. "Contrary to what you   
were taught, you Sons are just as fallible as the rest of us. You did  
question the wisdom of your 'Elders" enough to realize that they were  
wrong about the Moon Kingdom."   
  
"Yeah, now," the young man with the golden eyes sighed with relief.   
He'd been afraid that Minako would be less than understanding. "But   
when I fifteen years old I wasn't exactly in a position to do so. I   
believed that they knew best and I should do as I was told. I don't   
think I could have refused any request that came from the Elders back   
then."  
  
Unknowingly Kobushi had just said aloud what worried Mamoru most.   
When he'd been kidnapped by the Sons, Mamoru had been heavily drugged  
those first few days to keep him complaint. Doped to the eyeballs the  
Elders could have made Mamoru do anything number of things that he   
wouldn't be able to remember. Including making an unwilling deposit   
into the Sons little "bank account".   
  
Demando had called himself the True Prince. That particular title was  
one the Sons of the Golden Kingdom reserved for a man who was a linear descendant of the royal family of the Golden Kingdom. From what   
Kobushi had just told him, Mamoru deduced that, as of right now,   
there were only thirteen people who could fit that description – the   
twelve in the Circle of the Chosen and himself.   
Was the Demando a member of the Circle of the Chosen, or was he a   
child of one those who had aspired to be the King of Earth? With   
access to the sperm bank they could have easily done just that. If   
so, that raised a question that made Mamoru's stomach turn in knots.  
  
Who had fathered Demando?  
  
***************************************  
  
The ruling Prince of Nemesis was frustrated and in a dreadfully bad   
temper. He was frustrated because he'd twice come up against Endymion   
and twice been forced to withdraw from the field of battle. His bad   
temper stemmed from the insult Serenity had done not only to his body   
but also to his ego. Ever since he'd discovered the delightful   
differences between boys and girls when puberty overtook him, all the   
women in Demando's life had been more than eager to fall into his arms. Serenity's rather pointed rejection of him came as a nasty shock.   
  
The White Prince shifted uncomfortably in his chair, the ache an   
unpleasant reminder that he had failed to win the golden haired Queen   
of Earth over. Saffir had been unusually blunt in his assessment of   
the situation. He'd simply shrugged his shoulders when Demando   
insisted that all he really needed was some time alone with his Angel   
to make her see things his way.  
  
"Your 'Angel' kneed you in the groin," Saffir had said. "I don't   
think charm alone is going to work with her."  
  
A small part of Demando knew that his brother was right but the   
larger part of his ego rejected the idea vehemently. The White Prince   
had been raised to believe that he truly was the second coming; in   
this case the second coming of the True Prince. He had been carefully   
groomed for his future position as the absolute ruler of Earth. Those  
men instilled in Demando the ideas that strength was more important   
than compassion, that power was the final arbiter of what was right   
and just. The White Prince was the ultimate instrument of vengeance   
for all that his ancestors had suffered but so far he had failed   
miserably each time he'd come up against Endymion.   
  
The burden of being the last hope of a thousand years of struggle had  
never been an easy one to bear for Demando. It elevated him, made him   
the undisputed Prince of his Clan but it also brutally isolated him   
from those he ruled over. Out of all the people on the small, dark   
moon of Nemesis, only two people had ever loved him for who he really   
was, not for what he represented; his late mother and Saffir. His   
people idolized and even to an extent worshipped him but the White   
Prince knew that all of that loyalty was tied to one thing. Demando   
was expected to take back Earth and gain for the Black Moon Clan the   
bloody vengeance they so longed for.   
  
Rising abruptly, Demando moved to a small table and poured himself a   
glass of his favorite wine with hands that shook with anger and an   
emotion he was unused to, self-loathing. He took a deep drink, his   
mind seething in turmoil as he thought of his previous encounters   
with the King of Earth. If the expectations of a hundred generations   
of his ancestors weighed heavily on him, then his inability to defeat   
Endymion thus far was crushing.  
  
The normally sweet wine tasted bitter in mouth. He took the snifter   
and nestled it in his hand, swirling the contents. It was a tidy,   
little trap the White Prince was ensnared in. As long as he was   
unable to get Serenity away from Endymion, Demando knew, he would   
never be able to gain control of the Silver Crystal. Without control   
of that brilliant, shining power of hers, Saffir assured Demando that   
they could never have control of the Gate in their possession. Without   
the Gate they couldn't leave Nemesis. Unable to leave Nemesis he   
would forever be Prince of the Black Moon Clan but never King of   
Earth. It all boiled down to a very simple equation.  
  
He raised the glass and looked at it for an instant before flinging   
it across the room. The delicate snifter shattered, the blood red   
wine dripping slowly down the wall. "Whoever possesses Serenity will   
have Earth."  
  
"Then you must have her, great Prince," the voice was soft, yet rough   
at the same time. "You must have both the power of the stone of   
illusions and the one who controls it."  
  
Demando whirled, facing the direction from which the voice had come.   
In a cold corner of the room where the shadows gathered together, the   
darkness stirred. Two pin points of light flared in the very center   
of the pool of night and a figure slowly became visible.   
  
"Hail Demando, Prince of the Black Moon Clan," the creature hissed.   
The veil of shadows pulled back to reveal a small man dressed in   
ragged robes. He was seated, this strange creature of shadows. His   
hands moved in endless circles around a crystal ball that glowed with  
green-black light.   
  
Opening his link with the Black Poison Crystal, Demando stood his   
ground. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" He paused, eyes   
narrowing in sudden recognition. "I know you. You're the voice that   
I've been hearing in my dreams."  
  
"I am your most humble servant, great Prince," the creature replied.  
"I am called Wiseman," there was a hint of amusement in the grating   
voice, "and I have been searching through the endless wastes of the   
fourth dimension for you."  
  
"For me? I'm flattered," Demando let a charge start to build inside  
him. The moment this creature made a move that the White Prince didn't   
like he was going to blast him into very small pieces.   
  
"Your caution does you credit," Wiseman's voice took on a low,   
soothing tone. "But it is un-necessary. I was one of those who was   
forced to flee Earth during the exile but something went wrong. A few   
of us ended up far from here, lost and separated from our brethren. I  
am the last of that lonely band and I have been searching for you to   
bring you the victory that is your birthright."  
  
"You tell an interesting story, creature. But I'm not inclined to   
believe you." With a snap the fire of the Black Poison Crystal came   
to Demando, wreathing his body in its ebony power.  
  
"I bring you a gift – knowledge. Even if you distrust me, what harm   
can there be in letting me tell you what I know? You will decide how   
best to use this new knowledge. I am simply an advisor and your loyal   
servant. I can show you how to beat Endymion and have all that you   
desire."  
  
Demando's body still held the faint, dark aura that was the deadly   
power of the Jakozuishou. He paused to consider Wiseman's words. Even   
if this creature was an enemy, the White Prince had little doubt that   
he could overcome him. Knowledge, as Saffir has told him endlessly,   
was the greatest weapon a man could have.   
  
"Very well," Demando's voice held the regal air of someone granting a  
favor. "Tell me what you know."  
  
The sphere between Wiseman's hand glowed and a dark, oily sheen   
rippled across the surface. An ebony mist rose from it, an image   
appearing and slowly resolving into that of a woman. She was   
exquisite, this woman with the sunshine hair and between her hands   
was cradled a small but brilliant star.  
  
"Serenity…" Demando breathed the name softly, captivated by the   
shifting image.   
  
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Wiseman said. He noticed the intense interest  
on the face of the White Prince. He also noticed that Demando kept   
his link to the Jakozuishou open. That not-so subtle threat hung in   
the air like the image of the Queen of Earth.  
  
"Her true worth, though, is far more than as just another pretty bed-  
toy. She holds the key to victory over your enemy, great Prince.   
Serenity controls the great power of the White Moon, the Ginzuishou.   
Endymion doesn't even suspect the true power he possesses in his Queen.   
His pitiful Golden Crystal will never be able to harness the primal   
forces she holds inside her lovely body."  
  
"You tell me nothing I don't all ready know, creature," the White   
Prince said with contempt. "If that's all you have, then leave before  
I kill you for wasting my time."  
  
The light that pulsed between Serenity's hands glowed more brightly.   
"Time, Prince Demando? That is the crux of the matter isn't it –   
time? What if I told you that you I know where she goes to between   
the trips through time?" Wiseman had to hold back the laughter at the  
surprise that flickered across Demando's face.   
  
"Yes, I know of your temporal travels. I've learned many things   
during my long journey to find and serve you, my Prince. With that   
knowledge I can show you a way to break through the wards and enter   
the sanctuary Serenity retreats to," Wiseman carefully baited the   
hook. He waited a moment for the White Prince to process that   
information.  
  
"And just where might that be?" Demando asked slowly.   
  
He almost had him now, Wiseman knew. "Where else but the place   
Endymion's power would be strongest, where he would feel safest –   
Elysion."  
  
"Elysion," Demando breathed the name almost against his will. This   
was the land where the Golden Kingdom had once flourished. The tales   
his mother told him at bedtime of that legendary vale were among his   
earliest, and happiest, memories.  
  
"You are the True Prince, are you not? The wards around Earth's   
hidden shrine were meant to keep out those who do not belong there.   
The machine you are using, this 'Gate' is an alien device and thus   
Elysion will not permit entry unless those wards are lowered. By   
combining your birthright as a direct descendant of the royal house   
of Earth and your power as Prince of the Black Moon Clan you'll be   
able to break that seal. Then you will have the chance you need to   
take what should be yours; Serenity and the power of the White Moon   
she holds inside her."  
  
The image of Serenity above the crystal ball shimmered and flowed.   
When it finally resolved, the Queen of Earth appeared in a very   
different form. Clothed only in the silken fall of her golden   
tresses, she opened her arms to Demando, beckoning to him. The White  
Prince knew that this was merely an image conjured by this creature,   
Wiseman, but he was still affected by the radiant beauty of the woman.   
  
Wiseman's voice dropped to a sibilant whisper. "You've felt the   
Jakozuishou feast on the bright energies of the stone of illusions,   
sensed that it grew stronger each time it devoured that light. Think  
of how powerful the Jakozuishou will become once it has consumed all   
the energies of the Silver Crystal. You must have Serenity, make her   
yours. Only she can call on the supreme power of the Ginzuishou. Once  
you have combined its power with that of the Jakozuishou, Earth, it's   
King and the traitorous mongrels that now inhabit it will fall before   
you. You shall have everything that you desire. If," the image of   
Serenity abruptly disappeared, "you will let me help, great Prince.   
All I ask is that you allow me the honor of serving you."  
  
The White Prince said nothing at first, but his mind seethed with the possibilities. His gaze narrowed suspiciously at the odd, shadowy   
creature. "Why should I trust you?"   
  
A dark laugh came from the dark man robed in shadows. "You shouldn't.  
The journey I took through the tides of the fourth dimension have   
changed me but I still remember the men who raised you, Prince   
Demando. They no doubt taught you the wisdom of skepticism. Trust is  
never given, only earned. Then let me earn yours by giving you what   
you most want. I can teach you a very old lesson; one that the Elders   
in charge of your education probably left out."  
  
"What lesson would that be?" the White Prince folded his arms across   
his chest, a sardonic smile coming to his lips. Wiseman was quite   
right about the cadre of men who had taught him the ways of power.   
Perhaps there might be some truth, however small, to the tale he   
told. If this creature could gain him a real chance to snatch   
Serenity from Endymion, then it was worth the risk to listen to him.  
  
The mottled hands of the strange man never stopped their compulsive,   
eternal movement for an instant. An oily glow slithered across the   
surface of the crystal ball and it flared with suppressed power. That   
same light was reflected in the recessed eyes of the creature called   
Wiseman.   
  
"Give your opponent what they expect and the same time, do the   
unexpected. In order to win, you must be prepared to appear to lose."  
  
***************************************  
  
For the first time since the pair of graceful, white columns had been   
erected as a portal for the Timegate, they sat in total silence.   
There was no hint of power, no veil of rainbow light that shimmered   
and danced between the two pillars of marble. As a measure of   
precaution Pluto had completely closed the Timegate. The mystic wards  
around Elysion were ancient and formidable but Setsuna remembered all   
too well that a pair of less than competent thieves had managed to   
get through those barriers. Meiou Setsuna, however, was not a woman   
who liked to take un-necessary risks. Fate, she had found, just loved   
to toss surprises at you when least expected or desired them.  
  
"I found the time period that Makoto was thrown back into with less   
difficulty than I'd expected. It might mean that although she'd been  
displaced in time, Makoto is relatively undamaged."  
  
"Great!" Rei gave a sharp nod of enthusiasm. "Then let's go find her   
and get her back here. We can all 'act with one heart' so Usagi can   
break the Seal on the Grail, go into the Balance and awakened Earth."  
  
"You make it sound so easy, Rei-chan," Usagi said with some   
trepidation. As the time to break the Seal drew closer, Usagi was   
getting more and more nervous about the idea. What if she couldn't   
handle the wild power of the Grail and the Ginzuishou at the same   
time?   
  
Setsuna gently cleared her throat, "Before we do that, there's a   
problem I think you need to know about. With Ami's help, I've   
eliminated all but one scenario that could explain why Demando is   
able to travel through time," Pluto started out slowly. Why was it   
that she was always the one who gave out the bad news?   
  
"Actually," Ami added, taking a deep drink from the mug of coffee in   
her hand. It had been a long night, "we started out with about half a  
dozen scenarios. We eliminated all the other possibilities one by   
one."  
  
"Ami, only you could make something as incredible as time travel   
sound like you're balancing your checkbook," Rei teased gently. She   
loved Ami dearly but knew that the elfin woman could all too easily   
get caught up in the heady worlds only her mind was capable of   
navigating. It didn't hurt to remind Ami that not everyone was as   
comfortable with complex temporal theories as Setsuna.   
  
"Ignore Rei, I'm very impressed," Usagi paused and gave a rough   
cough, as if she had a cold. Her larynx had been badly bruised by the  
throttling she'd taken from the droid and her voice still reflected   
that. "Then again I can't balance a checkbook either."  
  
The sound of Usagi's voice only reinforced Setsuna's concerns. Mamoru   
sat next to his tiny wife. Although he was doing his best to appear   
relaxed, Pluto could tell from the way he kept gently tapping his   
lips with his fist that he was more than a little worried, too. With   
what Setsuna was about to say, he had every reason to be.  
  
"Nemesis is a world that seems to exist, at least partially, in the   
fourth dimension. I suspect it sits on the threshold of 'normal'   
space and a trans-dimensional axis."  
  
"Like straddling a fence, they can be on both sides at once" Mamoru   
said, trying to simplify it in his own mind. "We'd suspected   
something like that out from our previous encounters with them in the  
30th century."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Setsuna knew that there was no good way to   
deliver bad news. Sometimes the kindest thing was to just get it over   
with. "As you know, Gates take you from one place to another by   
traveling through the fourth dimension. When Demando opens a portal,   
he's all ready in the fourth dimension to begin with. That's what   
allows him to travel through time; his starting point is all ready   
outside the boundaries of time. Demando's Gate is really very small,   
though. I believe it's a proto-gate that's being augmented by an   
outside compatible power source. But there's no control with this   
pseudo-Timegate, at least none on Demando's part. His Gate is locked   
into a particular energy signature. When that energy moves through   
the fourth dimension all he can do is follow where-ever and when-ever   
it goes."  
  
"What could possibly be strong enough to pull the Black Moon Clan   
through time?" As soon as the words were out of Michiru's mouth, she   
knew the answer.  
  
"The light that cuts across time and space," Mamoru said softly,   
turning to look at Usagi.   
  
Every eye in the room was on her and it took Usagi a moment to figure   
out why. When it did her jaw dropped open. "The Ginzuishou?! You   
think that Demando's Gate is following the Ginzuishou?"  
  
"That's impossible," Venus interjected. She seemed offended by the   
idea. "Only Usagi can use the Silver Crystal."  
  
Ami shook her head. That's not quite right. Only Usagi can control the Ginzuishou and use it properly. Others can use the power of the   
silver crystal. Of course it'll burn them into ash when they do but   
that fact hadn't stopped the more insane of our opponents in the past  
from trying to get hold of it."  
  
Setsuna sighed in resigned fashion. "The Gate the Black Moon Clan is   
using isn't accessing the power it's locked onto, just following it.   
I've done much the same thing in tracking you down when you were   
scattered across time."  
  
It all came together in Mamoru's mind at once. "It makes perfect   
sense if you think about it. We always wondered why we didn't run   
into Demando or the Black Moon Clan in any other time period. Why, if  
they knew that Chibi-Usa had the Ginzuishou and what time period   
she'd gone to, didn't they simply arrive there before she did and be  
waiting for her."  
  
"Because their Gate is bound to the time and place the Ginzuishou   
goes to," Setsuna nodded sagely.   
  
"Damn, no wonder he's been able to show up everywhere we go. Demando   
has his own, personal homing beacon," Haruka folded her arms across   
her chest with an unhappy grunt. "And when we go to get Makoto, he   
can follow us again."  
  
A single finger was raised by the Keeper of the Timegate, "Actually,   
there is one way to prevent Demando from following us." She turned   
her head toward Usagi, "And that's to keep the Ginzuishou safely   
behind the wards of Elysion. If it doesn't leave here then Demando's   
Gate will have no way to track us through the tides of time and   
space."  
  
"You want me to stay here?" Usagi didn't like that idea very much.   
"What if Mako-chan needs me to heal her before she can be moved   
through your Gate?"  
  
Ami shook her head, "I don't think that's as necessary as we first   
thought. Rei was in shock but have would have had little trouble   
going through Setsuna's Gate if we hadn't been stopped by Demando."  
  
"And Minako was physically sound enough, just too stubborn to move   
without a fight," Michiru added. "And of course she got one when   
Mister tall, white and creepy showed up."  
  
"I'm beginning to see a pattern," Usagi admitted reluctantly. "I still  
wish I could go in case there's trouble…"  
  
"Whatever happened to the girl I used to have to coax to fight?"   
Mamoru teased.  
  
"She grew up and discovered she controls a crystal that can level   
whole city blocks," Usagi replied, whacking him gently on the arm.  
  
Rei laughed. "This is one of the advantages of being Queen, Usagi.   
We do all the leg work rounding up what could be a very cranky Mako-  
chan while you get to stay here in Elysion and play kissy face with   
your hubby."  
  
"Considering your knack for attracting trouble, Kitten," Haruka   
smiled to take the sting out her words, "I think that Elysion is   
safest place for you to be."  
  
***************************************  
  
The names floated through her mind like a litany of old friends;   
American Beauty, English Cottage, Gold of Ophir and White Damask. She  
knew each of them, knew their special needs and what it would take to  
make them flourish. She reached out to the White Damask with an   
experienced hand, gently cupping it so that the delicate blossom was   
not damaged, and inhaled deeply.  
  
Kino Makoto closed her eyes and let the perfume of the hybrid rose   
sooth her troubled mind. The scent was as elusive and delicate as the  
memories that it evoked in her. Most people would have been unable to   
make sense of the jumble of faces, names and voices that flitted   
through her mind like bright butterflies but Kino Makoto was not like   
most people. She had dealt with crushing loss before. The terrible   
emptiness that ripped at her soul was an old enemy; one she knew how   
to deal with. When her parents had died all Makoto had left of them   
was a few precious photographs and the even more precious memories of   
them she carried inside herself. She had learned to cling to those   
memories engrave them so deeply into her heart that nothing could   
ever erase them.   
  
Makoto focused all of energy on the memories that danced in her   
mind's eye, calling on the iron will that had served her so well as   
the Soldier of Protection. She ignored the pain, ignored the   
confusion and refused to give into the soft fog that wanted to shroud   
her mind. So intent was Makoto on this inner journey of discovery   
that she was all but oblivious to her surroundings for the moment.   
She no longer truly saw the display of hybrid roses before her, no   
longer took in the intent gaze of the owner of shop. Emerald eyes   
didn't notice the woman only a few feet from her when under any other circumstances she would have been impossible to miss.  
  
The woman was tall and exotic with silver hair that fell to her   
knees. Taking one of the dusty pink tea roses by the long stem, she   
looked at in a slightly puzzled manner then popped it into her mouth.   
The stem was pulled out, the bud gone as the alien female closed her   
eyes in appreciation.  
  
"That was very tasty!" the woman said with a satisfied sigh. She   
turned and walked towards the middle aged man who ran this small   
shop, his look of utter amazement not fazing her in the least.   
Reaching into the pocket of the long coat she wore, pulled out a small  
business card and handed it to him with a polite smile.   
  
"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Sailor Aluminum Siren and   
as good as that snack was I'm still going to have to take your star   
seed."  
  
***************************************  
  
As requested, Saffir had opened the portal to the proto-gate that the   
Black Moon Clan was using. He looked at his brother in a slightly   
confused manner, not understanding just why Demando wanted to look at   
nothing. That was the current view in the portal: a silvery mist so   
deep and thick that it obscured whatever was on the other side.   
  
The White Prince just stood there for a long moment, taking in the   
swirling mists silently. With slow deliberation he raised his hand,   
letting the palm skim across the veil. He could feel the wards react   
to him, a tingling that changed to a buzzing that quickly grew   
unpleasant. He snatched back his hand, giving a low grumble as he did   
so.  
  
"Did you finish that special droid I asked for?" Demando still looked thoughtfully at the misty portal. "And did you acquire the items I   
need?"  
  
Saffir nodded his head, his curiosity nagging him keenly. "Yes.   
Everything is ready to go when you give the word. Although I have to   
admit that the Healer gave me a very strange look when I told him   
what you wanted."  
  
The Healer, like all of those in the Black Moon Clan, was too well   
trained his duty to deny his Prince anything he asked for and Demando   
didn't give him a second thought. The White Prince looked over his   
shoulder at his younger brother, seeing that the Healer wasn't the   
only one who was curious. "I'll need several of your droids, as well."  
  
"It takes a lot of time and effort to make perfect droids; especially   
the one you requested," Saffir said. "Rubeus has been going through   
them at an alarming rate. The special one you wanted is complete. The  
others will be less than one hundred percent ready, but they can   
fight."  
  
The sharp tone of Saffir's voice betrayed his burning curiosity and   
Demando had to smile at that. "Well, you'll be happy to know that   
Rubeus isn't coming with us this time. This mission is much too…" he   
paused, a sly smile of anticipation coming to his lips, "…too   
delicate to trust to his somewhat brutish tactics."  
  
Unable to suppress the question any more, Saffir nevertheless managed   
to keep the words from exploding from his mouth. "I don't suppose   
you'd like to tell me what you have planned?"  
  
Demando placed both hands on the silvery mist, letting it envelop him   
up to his wrists. The magics in the seal reacted to the part of him   
that was a child of the Golden Kingdom with warm caress. The mists   
started to give way to him, allowing him entry when the magics of   
Elysion touched the other part of him, the one that was linked to the Jakozuishou. The warmth became a bitter, biting cold that rejected him  
and the plaint mist became as hard as ice.  
  
Removing his hands for now, Demando looked at his brother, his eyes   
eager and bright. "Remember how I said that it was time to rethink   
the way my war with Endymion will play out? Well, this is the first   
step. We're going to pay him a call."  
  
"But we can't get to wherever it is Endymion goes to. So how…" Saffir  
began, gesturing at the misty portal.   
  
Demando folded his arms across his chest, "Wiseman, come and   
introduce yourself to my brother."  
  
The cold shadows in the room gathered into a single, churning mass.   
From the heart of that ebony morass came the figure of man in a   
tattered robe. His legs crossed together, the strange, dark man   
floated out of the pool of night.   
  
"I come at your command, great Prince. Greetings, Lord Saffir,"   
Wiseman hissed, amusement in his voice at the look on Saffir's face.   
  
For a long moment all Saffir could do was gape at the creature who   
floated a few feet above the floor. A cold and terrible hand seemed   
to reach into his heart as the strange, dark man spoke and Saffir   
shivered in atavistic reaction. His eyes narrowed as he tried vainly   
to see the creature's face but it was cloaked in shadows.  
  
"What are you?" The way Wiseman's hands endlessly caressed yet never  
touched the ball between his hands spoke to Saffir of compulsion and   
madness. "And where the hell did you come from?"  
  
There was smugness in the creature's grating voice; a delight in the   
fear his appearance had caused that was barely hidden by his silken   
words. "As Prince Demando has said, I am Wiseman. I have come a great   
distance to serve our Prince and will give him the keys to achieve   
the victory that has been long promised."  
  
***************************************   
  
It was the sound of fear in the voice of the middle-aged store owner   
that pulled Makoto out of the fugue state she'd fallen into. She   
looked up, blinking hard to try and clear the fog that shrouded her   
thoughts. Emerald green eyes watched, slightly detached as the small   
round, man backed nervously away from Sailor Aluminum Siren.  
  
"No, please!" he brought up his arms as if they could ward her off,   
"take the money in the register but please don't hurt me!"  
  
A predatory grin came to the animate's face. "Silly man, I don't want   
your useless currency. It's your star seed I'm after."  
  
The tall woman with silver hair brought her arms up, turning them so   
that the bracelets on her wrists could be seen glowing with power.   
The sight of that sent painful memories lancing through Makoto. She   
had a moment of recollection so sharp she gasped. The feeling, that   
terrible searing pain as a part of her soul was ripped from her,   
lingered in her mind.  
  
"No," she said softly. In that moment, Kino Makoto remembered. She   
was the Soldier of Protection, the Senshi of Thunder and she would   
not let this happen to anyone else. "Leave him alone!"  
  
A small voice in her mind whispered to Mako that she couldn't henshin   
here in the open. There were secrets to keep, other lives that would   
be impacted by the knowledge that Kino Makoto was Sailor Jupiter. But   
neither that nor her own physical condition kept her from acting. She  
raced for the Sailor Animate, tossing the nearest object that came to   
hand at her. The large, heavy earthenware plate was round enough so   
that when Mako tossed it, it took flight. The ceramic projectile   
whizzed past Aluminum Siren's head, shattering on the wall near her   
into a million pieces.  
  
Mako didn't expect the plate to do more than distract the Animate's   
attention long enough for her to try and gain the upper hand. Sailor   
Aluminum Siren was surprised, all right and the ploy might have   
worked under other circumstances, but the traumatic rupturing of   
stasis has left Makoto slower than normal. She got no more than a few   
feet before the now annoyed Animate lashed out with the power Galaxia  
had given her. It caught Mako in mid air, sending her flying.  
  
"It's very rude to insert yourself into other people's private   
conversations!" she huffed, watching the tall, lithe brunette land   
hard in the floor. "Once I finish with this business I'll take of   
you."  
  
The linoleum flooring has recently been waxed and Makoto slid for   
several feet after landing on it. The wind had been knocked out of   
her but she still tried to rise. "I won't let you hurt that man," she  
gasped.  
  
With a dismissive glance, Sailor Aluminum Siren turned her back on  
Makoto. "All by yourself, human? The odds are that you wouldn't last   
a minute against me."   
  
"Mars flame sniper!"  
  
While it may have been easy to ignore what the Sailor Animate   
considered a mere human, it was much harder to ignore the flaming   
arrows that came so close to her face as it passed that her hair was   
singed. Aluminum Siren whirled to see that the woman on the floor was   
now surrounded by six Sailor Senshi.   
  
Truly ticked off, Mars had another arrow in her flaming bow. The   
arrogance the animates had displayed against people had always   
annoyed her to no end. At last, she was getting a chance to do   
something about it. "I think the odds have changed considerably."  
  
From the floor the dazed brunette smiled softly. "What took you guys   
so long to get here, anyway?"  
  
  
***************************************  
  
  
In one shadowed corner of the secluded grove that had been set aside   
for the use of the Timegate, a ghostly doorway began to appear. It   
started to brighten for a moment before a golden vapor rose from the   
ground to cover it like a shroud. The doorway pulsed slightly,   
fighting the wards that kept it from materializing. For a long moment   
the amber fire appeared to be winning the fight, continuing to cover   
the would-be portal no matter which way it slithered to escape it.   
While this struggle continued, a thin ebony strand started at one   
corner of the portal. It weaved through the golden power, slipped   
around and through the wards until it formed a spider's web of   
energy. The web expanded slowly until it at last it gave a burst of   
green black fire. The wards vibrated, then shattered, blown to shards  
like so many pieces of bright glass.   
  
"Well that did it!" Saffir moaned as he stepped through the portal a   
step behind his brother. In back of him a handful of droids followed   
silently. "So much for sneaking in unnoticed. Whoever put up those   
wards can't miss the way they were just broken. Someone is bound to investigate."  
  
There was a sly smile on the face of the White Prince. "Then let's   
give something else to keep them occupied, ne?"  
  
***************************************  
  
  
"People living here?" Mamoru seemed surprised by the idea, "in   
Elysion?"  
  
"Why not? We had a growing Kingdom on the Moon before the cataclysm."   
He looked so cute when he was surprised, Usagi thought, like a little   
boy.   
  
Helios nodded at his Prince. "The Golden Kingdom was never all that   
large but it was a vibrant, tight-knit community. When you, when   
Endymion, died the Golden Crystal was lost to us. Elysion couldn't   
support more than a handful and those that survived the war with the   
Moon Kingdom were forced into the world above. Now that the rightful   
Prince of Earth has broken the seal, the power of the Golden Crystal   
flourishes again. We could start small, with say a couple of hundred   
people."  
  
Mamoru looked over at where Goruden Kobushi was trying his best to   
charm Lorilei and engage her in conversation. The shy musician was at   
the piano again, using music to help lift the spirits of those   
waiting for their loved ones to return (and hiding behind the large,   
impressive piece of furniture, Mamoru suspected). Despite the life-  
long indoctrination, Kobushi had managed to see the truth, that the   
Moon Kingdom wasn't an evil empire bent on enslaving mankind. There   
had to be others within the Sons of the Golden Kingdom that could   
also be reached.  
  
"I know that it would be a dream come true for the Sons," Mamoru   
remarked. "It would be a challenge, though, to find people as open   
minded as Kobushi. The Sons can be very dogmatic, especially the   
Elders."  
  
Usagi gave a snort of disdain. "Oh please. This isn't about   
righteous convictions with the 'Elders'. It all boils down to one   
thing – power. The men at the top of the Sons, as much as they preach   
about living only to serve the True Prince, were no doubt very unhappy  
when Endymion reappeared. That the rightful master of the Golden   
Crystal was revealed meant that they had lost all chance of ruling   
Earth. They were no longer potential princes but plain old mortals   
and some men take that revelation harder than others."  
  
Mamoru, who had been smiling delightedly at his wife's uncanny   
insights, suddenly had the oddest feeling. A sharp pain lanced   
through his head and he gasped. Usagi was at his side in an instant,   
concern etched on her delicate features.   
  
"Mamo-chan, what's wrong?" She placed a gentle hand on his arm.  
  
It was worse for Helios. He reeled, "It's the wards. Someone's trying   
to…to…" he gasped then cried out in pain. All the color drained from   
his face until he was as pale as the white tunic he wore. Eyes   
rolling up into the back of his head, the guardian priest of Elysion   
tumbled to the ground, unconscious.   
  
They arrived with the suddenness of a summer storm, dark and   
foreboding. They were droids, the strange creatures that were a   
mixture of the mystic and the mechanical but it took Usagi an instant   
to recognize them as such. The ones she had faced in the past were   
colorful to say least. These constructs were crude, resembling   
malevolent manikins dressed in plain, black coveralls. Their faces   
were blank and expressionless as they hovered in the air.  
  
The air above Usagi and Mamoru shimmered, a chill wind springing up.   
Demando, Prince of Nemesis appeared to look down at them coldly.   
"I've come for the woman."  
  
"The woman?" Usagi's shock faded before the anger that rose quickly.   
Demando was talking about her as if she was object. "The woman?!"  
  
The White Prince didn't even look at her. His attention was firmly   
fixed on Mamoru. "I propose a duel, Endymion, a personal battle   
between you and I. The winner takes Serenity. As an added incentive,   
you also fight to save the mongrels that dare to walk the sacred soil  
Elysion from my minions. Are you up to the challenge?"  
  
That the normally polished Demando sounded like a B-movie villain   
bothered Mamoru but he had no time to reflect on it. Raising his   
palm, the White Prince let loose a burst of black fire at his rival,   
not seeming to notice that the woman he purported to "win" was   
standing next to him. Mamoru pushed Usagi away from him.  
  
"Take care of Helios!" he called as they tumbled in opposite   
directions.   
  
With a single gesture a snow white rose came to his hand and Chiba   
Mamoru was replaced by Tuxedo Kamen. He could feel the mystic   
energies of the planet singing inside him, filling him with power.   
Golden fire ran up his body and into his hands.  
  
"You made a mistake in coming here, Demando," his hands began to   
shimmer with the power growing in them and Mamoru thrust them in   
front of him, "Never confront your opponent on their home territory   
unless you're prepared to pay the price!"  
  
To his surprise a brilliant discharge erupted from Tuxedo Kamen as he  
channeled the power of the Golden Crystal through his hands.   
Demando's amethyst eyes went wide with surprise as he was caught up   
in the blast. He vanished for a moment, then reappeared a bit further  
away.  
  
"Come Endymion," he stood on the ground, one hand beckoning to the   
Prince of Earth. "Come and face me if you dare!" Strangely enough,  
both the tone of Demando's voice and the expression on his face   
lacked the burning, passionate hatred Mamoru had seen there before.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen had little time to puzzle over his rival's cool demeanor  
and bad dialogue. The White Prince stepped a little further back,   
raising his hands to attack and Mamoru moved to pursue him, "If you   
insist."  
  
Helios was still out cold when Usagi knelt beside him. She glanced   
around to see that the strange droids had come to life. They went   
after those closest to them. It should have been a slaughter, but   
these foot soldiers of the Black Moon weren't nearly as good as Usagi  
remembered them to be.  
  
Yuuichirou was defending both himself and Rei's grandfather. He was   
managing to hold off a droid with a long pole, using it like a staff.   
Every time the thing got close enough Yuuichirou would let the pole   
snake out to hit and it hard enough to knock it over. Rei's   
grandfather seemed quite pleased by his student's actions and was   
yelling encouragement at him while he rushed as fast as his aged legs  
would carry him towards Lorilei. She was tossing any object that came   
to hand at the droid near her; sheet music, pens and pencils even her  
metronome. They didn't slow the thing down much and Lorilei reached   
for the bench she was sitting on. When Souji finally got there   
Goruden Kobushi had tackled the monstrosity and the two rolled end   
over end on the lush grass. The old man looked around to see that   
Ami's mother and the two shrine maidens had one droid on the ground.   
The two maidens were sitting on it and Dr. Mizuno was shouting nasty   
invectives at the construct as she thumped heartily on its head and   
shoulders.   
  
It was chaos, utter, total chaos and Usagi knew that at any moment   
the droids could gain the upper hand and start to kill people. She   
wasn't about to let that happen. A hand was thrust out and she took a  
deep breath. "Moon Eternal…"  
  
Before she could finish calling out her henshin phrase an arm snaked   
around her waist from behind. A damp cloth was pressed over her nose   
and mouth. Usagi gave a gasp of surprise that was her undoing. The   
sickly, sweet smell of whatever was on the cloth was strong, so   
strong that it overwhelmed her senses. Usagi's knees gave out almost   
at once and she fell backwards against Demando. Her lungs burned   
from whatever she had inhaled and Usagi tried to toss her head from   
side to side in an attempt to get away from the sweet, cloying vapor   
but she was unable to muster the will to do even that. The world was   
quickly fading away, a gray mist rising to veil her vision.  
  
"Don't struggle Angel," Demando's voice came out of the mist, filling   
her ears. "You can't fight the drug. It always wins and so do I."  
  
The White Prince pulled Usagi behind the cover of the large tree   
trunk. He continued to hold the cloth over her mouth for a moment even  
after she collapsed back into him. Demando wanted to make sure that   
she wouldn't wake before they reached Saffir and the Gate. A careful   
glimpse around the tree showed that Endymion was still engaged by the  
droid masquerading as the White Prince. Demando knew that the King   
of Earth would destroy the construct within minutes, but by then he   
and his prize would be long gone. Letting the drug soaked rag at last   
fall away, he picked up the now limp woman in his arms and headed   
away from the fight. There was a sly smile on his face as he enjoyed   
the thought of the rage Endymion would feel when he realized that   
Demando had out maneuvered him.   
  
Something wasn't right, Mamoru knew, even as he easily dodged another   
bolt of power that lanced from the palm of the White Prince. Their   
martial dance was moving them both away from the heart of the shrine,  
Mamoru noticed. His attention was immediately brought back to Demando   
as the man formed ball of dark energy between his hands.  
  
"Time to die, Endymion," came the voice Mamoru had come to know too   
well. But Demando's voice was again strangely devoid of emotion.  
There was no sense of triumph, just a cold statement of fact.  
  
The ball of black fire was launched, but once again Mamoru dodged it.  
"My turn!" he called out, opening his link to the Golden Crystal to   
its fullest.   
  
With a growl the last Crown Prince of Earth brought his hands   
together and thrust them outwards. A column of soil rose at his   
command. It caught the White Prince in the mid-section and slammed   
him to the ground. Mamoru's body was shaking from the effort, but he  
stayed focused and kept Demando pinned down.  
  
"Give up, Demando, before I have to really hurt…" Mamoru's voice   
trailed off as he got closer to where his opponent was. A shower of   
sparks rose from the moist soil, arcing once before dying away.   
Mamoru's eyes went wide when he saw the gaping hole in Demando's   
body. The White Prince should have been bleeding profusely but   
instead of flesh and bone, all Mamoru could see was intricate   
circuitry.   
  
"Time to…time to…time to…die…" the creature gasped mechanically. A   
final burst of power fried the construct and it law motionless on the  
ground.  
  
It was a droid, Mamoru realized, one of the constructs that were   
creatures of both science and magic used as foot soldiers by the   
Black Moon Clan. The column of earth holding the thing down crumbled   
when the shock of this discovery broke Mamoru's concentration. The   
incompetent droids, the odd ramblings of the White Prince, the   
meandering course of the fight; it all suddenly made sense for   
Mamoru. This so-called duel wasn't a meant to be a battle at all.   
  
It was meant to be a distraction.  
  
"Usako," his heart went cold in his chest as Mamoru spun around to   
look for her. Helios, he could see, was still on the ground where he   
had fallen but Usagi was gone.  
  
The fight had pulled him halfway across the expansive, lush lawns   
that surrounded the main temple. Mamoru looked around frantically   
and caught the barest glimpse of a figure in white moving into one of   
the shadowed doorways of the shrine. That was all he needed to see.   
The Prince of Earth started to run back towards the main building   
that housed the heart of the shrine as fast as his legs could carry   
him.  
  
***************************************  
  
  
While parts of Tokyo were full of the shining glass towers and   
soaring temples of commerce that were a source of civic pride, there   
were others sections of the city that were not as grand. This was one   
such place, a collection of old brick and concrete structures that   
usually ran only five or so stories high. While not sky scrapers by   
any means, they were tall enough so that the maze of narrow alleys   
never saw the sunlight. Small, dank and musty, they were not a spot   
most people chose to hang out in. That perhaps was why there was   
such surprise when Setsuna had hustled the group into the shadowy   
alley.   
  
"You're going to open your Gate here?" Haruka asked, looking   
carefully around. "Are you sure you should be doing that?"  
  
"Do I tell you how to drive?" Setsuna replied dryly.   
  
"It does seem a little cramped," Mars ventured uneasily.   
  
The sounds of rats scurrying through the rubbish in the back of the   
narrow alley made Michiru all too aware of how much leg her fuku left   
exposed. She hated rats, especially the cat-sized monsters Tokyo   
seemed to breed in abundance. "I thought you needed lots of open   
space to safely open a Gate."  
  
"I hold one of the Greater Gates. It's much more powerful and precise   
than a mere proto-gate," Pluto said, letting the bottom of her staff   
tap on the ground with annoyance. "Do you want to stand here and   
discuss this or would you like to leave?  
  
"Well I'm sure ready to go," Makoto said in a tired voice.  
  
"You're right. The sooner we're out of this God forsaken time the   
better," Uranus grumbled.   
  
"You sound almost nervous," Venus teased. She had meant the comment   
to be light enough to break the tension she could sense in both   
Uranus and Neptune.  
  
"Damn right I'm nervous," Uranus shot back. "Only a fool wouldn't be   
concerned about the prospect of running into Galaxia. She shrugged   
off our strongest attacks as if they were nothing."  
  
This was what really had Haruka on edge, the memories of their final   
stand against Galaxia. Unable to stop the golden queen with any   
weapon in their arsenal, Uranus and Neptune did what they had always   
done. They put their own personal convictions aside and found a way   
to try and complete their mission. She was aware that Usagi and   
Mamoru as well as the Inner Senshi didn't always agree with their   
methods of fighting. They probably never would but that was an idea   
Haruka had come to grips with a long time ago.   
  
The orb in her staff glowed a brilliant red as Setsuna raised it.   
"Then let's go." A portal appeared at her calling, the silvery mist   
across the surface parting like a curtain. There was a slight   
disharmony in the song the portal sang to Setsuna, so subtle that she   
wondered if she was imagining it. She cocked her head, using her   
psychic senses to listen to her Gate. Whatever the disturbance was   
she couldn't sense it anymore.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Mercury asked when she saw the momentary   
flicker of question on Setsuna's face.  
  
"It's nothing," Pluto replied quickly with a slight smile. "I think   
that Uranus is right. This time and place has too many bad memories   
for all of us. Let's leave the past where it belongs and concentrate   
on the future."  
  
***************************************  
  
Demando could hear Endymion roaring his wife's name. The anger in   
that voice along with the frustration made the White Prince chuckle   
with satisfaction. The King of Earth was closing in on him fast but   
not quickly enough to stop Demando from what he planned to do.   
  
"Don't worry, Angel" he said to the unconscious woman in his arms,   
"He won't catch us."   
  
He turned the corner and found Saffir waiting for him. "You did it!"   
the younger man said triumphantly. There was nothing that Demando   
could not do when he set his mind to it, Saffir knew.   
  
"I haven't completely succeeded yet. Endymion is right behind me,"   
there was a wicked gleam in Demando's eyes. He had managed to get   
into Elysion and steal Endymion's wife right from under his nose.   
It was bold, daring and totally audacious. Demando was enjoying this   
moment immensely. "Get ready to open the portal on my signal,   
Saffir."  
  
So intent on this victory were both brothers that they didn't notice   
the flickering of rainbows that danced between the twin pillars in   
this grove. It exploded to life, filling the small garden with light.  
Mamoru burst into the grove just as the Timegate opened. He saw   
Pluto, the other Senshi arrayed behind her just on the other side of   
the portal.  
  
"Checkmate, Endymion," the White Prince crowed with triumph. "I've   
taken your Queen and this game belongs to me. Now, Saffir!"  
  
It all happened at once. Mamoru leapt for Demando, desperate to stop   
him. Setsuna's magenta eyes widened in pure horror when she saw the   
proto-gate control pad in Saffir's hand and realized what he was about  
to do.   
  
"No!" It was ironic that the Keeper of the Timegate didn't have time   
enough to do more than scream out that single word of denial. The   
very first lesson she had learned as a Gatekeeper came rushing back   
to her even as she screamed out the one sound.  
  
~You must never, ever open two Gates in the same place at the same   
time. To do so is to risk death – and worse than death.~  
  
Pluto tried to slam her own portal shut but with people still inside,  
she couldn't do so fast enough. Saffir hit the button, opening the   
proto-gate wide. The edges of the two portals overlapped and the   
grove exploded.  
  
The flash of harsh light preceded the sound that followed it by a   
heartbeat. Elysion was filled for an instant with an inhuman wailing   
that pulsed through the bodies of all that heard it. The ground shook   
in explosive reaction to the inter-dimensional forces that were  
released in a sudden, shattering burst. When at last the light faded   
and the earth stopped convulsing all that was left of the once   
bucolic garden was a ragged hole; a deep and gaping wound in the   
heart of Elysion that smoked at its edges. The ruins were crowned by   
the shattered remains of the columns that had been the Timegate's   
portal.  
  
The grove and everyone in it was gone.  
  
  
*************************************** 


	8. Chapter Seven

Author's notes are at the end!  
*******************  
  
"The Quest"  
By Meara  
Chapter Seven  
  
"I want to have you by any means." Prince Demando, episode 83  
  
*******************  
There was no up or down, no left or right, no backwards or forwards.   
There was only the pain and the smothering darkness. One moment they  
were being crushed, the next pulled with such force that it felt as   
if they were being torn into small pieces. One moment of agony   
blended into the next until time itself ceased to have any meaning.   
How long that hellish torment went on, no one could be sure. What   
they did know was the exact moment it ended.   
  
A brilliant, ruby light penetrated the agonizing sea of night. The   
light brought shelter from the nightmarish storm, wrapping them all   
in a cocoon that sheltered them from the darkness that sought to   
consume them. At the heart of the light was a woman, riding the   
turbulent tides of this place with great effort. Setsuna, Sailor   
Pluto raised her head, her eyes eerily reflecting the light in her   
garnet orb.  
  
"We have to form a shield," she called out, lifting her staff high.   
Her voice was distorted by this place and those around the Soldier of   
Time heard her words more in their minds than in their ears. "Use the talismans!"  
  
Uranus held her Space Sword aloft. A thin line of golden fire raced   
from it towards the garnet orb. Neptune called on her Aqua Mirror,   
the light that came from it the color of raging seas. It joined with   
the other two talismans and formed a triangle. Sailor Pluto took her   
staff in both hands and thrust the butt end of it into the roiling   
mire beneath her feet.   
  
The staff shimmered then burst into song, discordant at first. The   
dissonant harmonies slowly changed as Setsuna focused her will. One   
by one, the grating, harsh notes resolved into a single, clear tone   
and the chaos abated. The Senshi fell to the blessedly solid ground.   
For a long moment there was only the sound of labored breathing as   
they tried to shake off the trauma they had just endured.  
  
Still trembling from the effort that had saved them, Setsuna lifted   
her head and looked around. They were surrounded by a writhing, misty   
wall that featured jumbled snippets of faces and events beyond   
counting. The strange, conflicting scenes would play until they were   
swallowed up by a new set of images. The bizarre tableau went on and   
on, one reality melting into another in an endless and eternal storm.   
  
Oh no," Setsuna's heart went cold in her chest as she looked around,   
then up. The seamless walls formed a cylindrical pocket of subspace   
that kept out the lethal forces that had almost torn them asunder.   
Using her staff to help her stand, Setsuna tried to deny the truth   
but knew that this place was much more than a shelter – it was a   
prison.  
  
"Master of Life, have mercy," Setsuna whispered with cold dread,   
"We're in The Well."  
  
***************************************  
  
It was a long, slow climb back to consciousness for Usagi. The light   
pulsed strangely in her half-awake mind, odd colors and star bursts   
that came and went with no discernable pattern. The only constant was   
the pain. It felt as if someone was very slowly driving a dull blade   
through the back of her head. That ache was what convinced Usagi that   
she was finally awake. Her body was sluggish and her hand was slow to   
obey her as she tried to press it to her throbbing head.   
  
"You're awake," came a deep male voice across the room. Out of the   
shadows walked Demando, Prince of the Black Moon Clan. "You were   
sleeping so soundly that I was sure that you'd be out for a few more  
hours."  
  
Usagi sat up abruptly. That turned out to be a mistake as it only   
made the pounding in her head worse. "Where am I?" she asked, in a   
tight voice that reflected the pain she was in. Usagi had a sinking   
feeling that she knew exactly where she was.   
  
The White Prince moved at a measured pace towards the woman on the   
bed. "Welcome to Nemesis, Serenity, and to my castle. I'm sure you'll  
enjoy your stay with us," he said with a smile.   
  
"Where is…" she bit back the name Mamoru at the last moment. If   
Demando didn't know that Chiba Mamoru was also King Endymion, Usagi   
was not about to clue him in. "Where's Endymion? Where are my   
friends? What did you do to them?"  
  
"Endymion was fine the last time I saw him," the White Prince gave a   
dismissive wave of his hand. "Mind you he was a bit annoyed that I'd   
managed to coax you into coming with me, but physically he was just   
fine."  
  
Usagi's eyes narrowed with outrage. "You didn't 'coax' me into doing   
anything! You kidnapped me!"  
  
"Kidnap is such an ugly word, Angel. I prefer to think of it as   
liberating you from Endymion," Demando replied in a calm voice that   
implied that his actions had been totally reasonable.  
  
Usagi swung her feet over the edge of the bed. She felt dizzy and   
weak, her head pounding in time to the beating of her heart. "Excuse   
me, but knocking someone unconscious and carrying them off is not   
'liberating' them!"   
  
"Semantics…" Demando said with a shrug. "Once I've freed you from the  
spell Endymion has you under, you'll thank me for rescuing you."  
  
The room was still moving around Usagi but she gritted her teeth and concentrated. Cupping her hands, she called the Ginzuishou to her.   
The light filled Usagi, giving her the strength to face Demando.   
  
"I'll thank you to show me the door," Usagi opened herself a little  
more to the mystic fire. Her body pulsed with a silver aura. The   
pain in her head melted away as the healing energies of the   
Ginzuishou flowed through her.   
  
"I mean it, Demando. Show me how to get back to my husband and   
friends or I'll bring this place down around your ears." The   
statement was a bluff, but Usagi hoped that Demando didn't know that.  
She absently wondered what kind of destruction the silver crystal   
could inflict if she set her mind to it.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Angel," Demando said in a   
nonchalant manner. He opened his link to the Jakozuishou and felt the  
dark energy roar to life, greedily consuming the silver light and   
wanting more. "All you're going to do is exhaust yourself."  
  
He was right, Usagi knew with building dread. She could feel the   
power of the Ginzuishou being leeched away as fast as she called on   
it. Her headache pounded to life again with a vengeance and Usagi   
could feel the strength given her by the healing power of the   
Ginzuishou drain out of her like water. Reluctantly, Usagi let the   
mystic stone fade away to sleep inside her once more.  
  
Usagi sat back down on the bed, trying to hide from Demando just how   
shaky she was. "Please Demando, I want to go home."  
  
The pain in her eyes made the White Prince sigh. "I'm sorry,   
Serenity," he said with real regret. "But that's not possible right   
now. Even if I had decided to let you go, there been an accident…"  
  
***************************************   
  
"The S'Eyre call this place 'The Well'," Setsuna started out. "When   
Saffir opened his Proto-Gate on top of mine they both ended up trying  
to occupy the same space at the same time. God doesn't like having   
the fundamental law of physics flouted like that and the reaction   
was, to say the least, catastrophic. The fabric of the fourth   
dimension was torn and we were thrown into a kind of… subspace, for   
lack of a better term."  
  
"I've got a better term," Makoto grumbled while massaging the back of  
her neck. "I think 'hell' describes it quite nicely."  
  
Michiru still held the Aqua Mirror in a hand that shook slightly. "It  
felt as if I was being torn apart."  
  
"We were," Pluto replied grimly. The garnet orb at the top of her   
staff pulsed, casting a crimson glow. "It's only the power of our   
talismans combined that allows me to shield this small pocket."  
  
His head finally cleared enough for Mamoru to remember what had   
happened just before everything went to hell in a hand-basket.   
"Usako, where is she? Demando had her when…" his face went ashen.   
"Setsuna, what would have happened to Demando's Gate?" His eyes   
begged her to tell him that his beloved was not dead or lost in the   
hell they'd just endured. He reached for the bond he shared with   
Usagi and found it frighteningly still within him.  
  
Pluto was looking at what lay just beyond the light cast by her   
staff. "They're safe, Mamoru, and most likely on Nemesis but I'll bet  
it was a wild ride. Because my Gate was opened first we took the   
brunt of the accident. To be honest, I'm very surprised that we're   
not all dead. I'm also quite sure that Demando's misbegotten, jury-  
rigged, piece of junk, proto-gate," she spat with venom, "fried every  
relay it has, so they won't be making any more trips. If we can   
manage to get home at least you know where Usagi will be."  
  
That wasn't much comfort for Mamoru. Demando wouldn't kill her, he   
told himself in an effort to keep the panic he was feeling under   
control. Right now he had to focus on getting back to Elysion. Once   
he did that Chiba Mamoru had every intention of paying the White   
Prince a call. If he had hurt his wife then, the future be damned, he  
was going to make Demando pay.  
  
Uranus came to stand beside Setsuna. "What do you mean 'if' we can   
get home?"  
  
With a resigned sigh, Setsuna gave a wave of her hand. "Look around   
us. Do you see all those images? They're other realities, other   
universes all over lapping each other."  
  
Ami's visor popped into place and she gave a sharp hiss of surprise   
at the readings. Mercury turned in a slow circle then began to look   
up. They seemed to be at the bottom of a very large shaft that was   
surrounded on all sides by blurring, shimmering doorways of every hue  
and shape. She could see why it could be called a "well" - and they   
were at the bottom of it.   
  
"This is some kind of inter-dimensional nexus," Ami said, awed by the implications. "There must be thousands, no hundreds of thousands, of   
different universes all converging here."  
  
Looking around, Minako knew this was all too much for her to   
comprehend, so she chose to concentrate on something a bit simpler.   
"That's all very nice but we have enough problems as it is. Just open  
the portal to Elysion so we can get back there, re-group then go and   
kick Demando's royal posterior."  
  
"I don't think you understand," Pluto said slowly. She looked up at   
the countless doorways to countless dimensions. "We're in a void   
where I have no points of reference, no sense of 'direction'. It's   
like being dropped into the middle of the ocean and told to swim for   
land. You pick a direction and hope that you've chosen wisely or you   
drown."  
  
"Then how do we get back to our Earth?" Rei wasn't sure she wanted to  
know the answer.  
  
Setsuna gestured to myriad portals, "By trial and error. Praying   
wouldn't hurt either because we're going to need all the help we can get."  
  
"There's more bad news, isn't there?" Rei asked suspiciously.  
  
Uranus gave a snort of agreement, "There's always more bad news."  
  
Setsuna continued to look up at the endless array of images, a shiver  
of trepidation running through her, "The chaos just beyond those   
barriers can't be held back by the power of our Talismans forever.   
Those walls will collapse eventually. If we're in The Well when that   
happens we'll most likely be ripped to pieces. If we're in one of the  
other realities when it happens, then we'll be trapped there."  
  
"The S'Eyre have been making and using Gates for over a thousand   
years," Ami said in a reasonable tone. There was always a way out of   
a trap. You just had to find the right key. "So what have other   
Gatekeepers done to get themselves out of here?"  
  
Setsuna's golden skin blanched. "That's the problem. Out of all the   
Keepers who have had the misfortune to be trapped here only three   
have made it out alive and only one of them was more or less sane   
afterwards. That Gatekeeper claimed that it was sheer luck that he  
walked through the right portal and into the right universe."  
"Luck?!" Rei seemed outraged by the idea. "I don't know about the   
rest of you but I have no intention of entrusting my future to the   
whims of fate."  
  
Mamoru cupped his hands, a small golden star appearing between them.   
"Mars is right. We have a powerful array tools both mystic and   
intellectual at our disposal. Let's try and use them to find the way   
home as quickly as possible."   
  
Pluto looked up at the endless array of realities that extended   
beyond her range of sight. She couldn't resist the wry smile that   
came to her lips. "We have a lot more to work with then the average   
Gatekeeper would, Mamoru-san. Quite a stroke of luck, ne?"  
  
***************************************  
The work bench was littered with singed and blackened circuitry.   
Usagi reached out and took a piece, turning it over and over in her   
hand. Examining the part helped give Usagi something to do while she   
dealt with the shock of seeing Saffir again. He was dead; no, she   
corrected herself, he would be dead at the hands of Wiseman in the   
future.   
  
"Endymion launched some kind of attack at us when I opened the   
portal," Saffir said. Serenity kept glancing furtively at him, making  
Saffir oddly nervous. "That overloaded most of the control relays. We  
were lucky to get back here in one piece."  
  
"I shielded us with the power of the Jakozuishou," Demando had his   
arms folded neatly over his chest. There was no braggadocio in his   
tone, just a statement of the facts. "Without it we would have been   
lost forever in the chaos of that place."  
  
Usagi's mind was racing. Where was Wiseman? His lust for the   
Ginzuishou had driven him to extremes in both the past and the   
future. If he was here on Nemesis, why hadn't he moved to try and   
take it from her?   
  
"But you can fix the Gate, can't you?" she asked nervously.  
  
"It may take some time," Saffir said slowly. The truth was that he  
wasn't at all sure that he could repair the alien device, but   
Demando had told him that Serenity mustn't know that – not yet anyway.  
  
"And while you're my guest here on Nemesis, this will give you some   
time to get to know us better," the White Prince gave Usagi his   
most charming smile. "We of the Clan aren't the ogres Endymion has   
made us out to be."  
  
"I have news for you, Demando. Drugging people unconscious then   
hauling them off like a sack of potatoes makes a very poor first   
impression," Usagi snapped. She had to stay angry, she knew, or the   
fear that she would never again see Mamoru and her friends would take  
control of her.   
  
Serenity was beautiful when she was angry, Demando thought. Her   
cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled. After a life time of   
having women fawn over him, the White Prince found Serenity   
refreshingly candid. "I'll make you a deal, Angel. If you agree to   
keep an open mind while you're here, then I promise that when the   
Gate is working, that I'll ask if you want to stay here or go back to  
Endymion."  
  
Crystal blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. She gave Demando a long,   
hard look. "You'd really do that? Just let me go if that's what I   
want?"  
  
It was hard for Demando to keep a smile from his face. Her naiveté   
was utterly enchanting. "I'm many things, Serenity, but I've never   
broken my word. If you hold up your end of the bargain, then I   
solemnly vow that I'll ask you if you choose to stay here or leave."  
  
There was a long, quiet moment as a whirlwind of conflicting emotions  
and thoughts danced inside Usagi's mind. That Demando and the Black   
Moon Clan were here had to be proof that she had somehow managed to   
escape from Nemesis, didn't it?   
  
If Earth had never awakened from the spell of crystal sleep, then   
they couldn't exist. Usagi reached for the bond that connected her to   
Mamoru. He'd always been more sensitive to it but she would have felt  
it if the tie had been shattered by his death. It was quiet, sleeping  
inside her like a rose in the winter, waiting for the warm kiss of   
spring.   
  
The knowledge that Mamoru was at least alive didn't diminish the   
panic that clawed at Usagi's soul. She had a flash of memory, the   
fear making it sharp and clear. Pluto had said something about   
Nemesis existing outside the normal boundaries of time. While Usagi   
wasn't sure exactly what that meant, she had a nasty suspicion.   
  
Time flowed differently here. Whether she found a way to escape   
Nemesis on her own or whether Mamoru and her friends found a way to   
get to her, there was no telling how long she'd be trapped here. It   
could be a week, a month or longer. Usagi was being forced to do the  
one thing she had never done well; be patient.   
  
Perhaps by agreeing to Demando's proposition she could buy the needed  
time to find that avenue of escape. She looked into the amethyst eyes   
of the White Prince. If nothing else, she believed that he was as good   
as his word.   
  
With a sigh Usagi held out her hand, "I'll agree to your deal,   
Demando."  
  
The White Prince took her hand in his, turning it over so he could   
place a genteel kiss on the back of it. His eyes brimmed with   
amusement and mischief, giving him a boyish charm. "Thank you, Angel.  
I know that you'll find your stay here with me most enlightening."  
***************************************  
"So let me see if I have all the facts correctly," Trista Meiou   
paused, her warm alto voice not managing to completely hide the   
disbelief she was currently feeling. "According to you, my father was  
the King of Pluto and my mother was an alien Princess from some far   
flung empire no one has ever heard of. Serena has been carted off by  
Prince Diamond who, by the way, is traveling through time due to some  
mysterious happenchance. You and the others are going from reality to   
reality, trying to find your way home."  
  
Meiou Setsuna, Sailor Pluto, returned the look of scorn in a flawless  
imitation of this universe's version of herself. "Am I this   
patronizing in most realities or is it just you?"  
  
Never one to back down from a challenge, Trista Meiou locked eyes   
with her double. "You know, you haven't quite managed to hit on all   
the trite and clichéd ideas I can think of. So, which one of you has  
the evil twin sister?"  
  
"Lorilei is not evil," Setsuna hissed back, "She's a musician  
  
The dislike of music was a trait shared by all the various Plutos.   
Trista rolled her eyes in disgust, "Well, that sounds evil to me.   
How much worse can this get?"  
  
"Cousins? You pass yourself off as cousins? Open the closet, girl,   
and come on out."  
  
The outrage in Haruka's voice stopped the bickering between the two  
Plutos. Haruka's face was flushed with amazement. Amara's face had a   
similar florid rush but hers was due to embarrassment. Michelle and   
Michiru looked at each other and gave a sigh. The Sailor Scouts all   
had a confused look on their faces. The Senshi had a slightly smug   
look to counter it.  
  
"Okay," Amara said slowly, "So we're not really cousins."  
  
"Then why do you live together?" Amy Anderson asked. The question was  
no sooner out of her mouth then the truth of the situation dawned on   
her. It was her turn to blush. "Oh, I see…"  
  
Raye folded her arms across her chest, looking quite annoyed. She   
hated surprises; like having your doppelgangers from another universe  
suddenly show up. "Are there any other tidbits of information you'd   
like to shock us with?"  
  
Makoto gave a pragmatic shrug. "Hey, that revelation is nothing. We   
ended up in this one reality where there was this man in a Sailor   
fuku. The poor guy was being pursued by a masked hero named 'Under-  
dressed, Over-sexed Kamen'."  
  
Ami put a hand to her brow where she could feel the headache   
starting. "We followed the two of them into a place called," she   
paused and looked nervously at Rei, "'Crazy Hino's Magical House of  
Hosiery."  
  
Rei narrowed her eyes and muttered darkly to herself. "That masked  
moron put the moves on me."  
  
"And?" Raye asked her counterpart. She had a pretty good idea of what  
had happened but curiosity got the better of her.  
  
Hino Rei let the power of Mars flow down her hand and into a single   
finger. A burst of fire danced above the raised digit. "I gave him a   
little bit of Fire Soul Love." An evil smile came to her lips  
  
"At least the talking gerbil, Omelet, was sort of cute," Minako   
added, "In a lecherous kind of way. You know, Sailor Drag Queen   
wouldn't get so many odd looks if he'd just learn to shave his legs   
properly."   
  
"This is way more information than I need," Lita shuddered bringing   
her hands up to her ears.  
  
Trista Meiou gave a loud sigh. "It sounds as if you've run into the   
bane of the multi-verse. A being so twisted and feared that the   
housing values in entire solar systems crash after he moves in for   
even a short stay," she looked at her counterpart with annoyance.   
"He's called by many names but the best known is Lord Chaos."  
"Oh Pooh," Setsuna mumbled unhappily. "He's been here too? I'd give   
much to know just how is it that Chaos manages to slide between   
realities so easily."   
  
Setsuna closed her eyes for a moment, trying to feel if she was able   
to align the portal to the Timegate and get back into the Well. It   
was getting more difficult with each jump they made. She felt her   
Gate at last falling into alignment with a jarring physic "bump". If   
they couldn't find their way back home soon, they were going to end   
up stuck in one of these alternate universes.   
  
Even as she prepared to open her Gate, Setsuna could sense a whisper   
on the temporal winds. It lasted only a heartbeat, but in that brief   
moment Setsuna could have sworn that she felt a tugging along the   
lines of the bond she shared with Lorilei.   
  
The whisper faded away, swallowed up so fast that Setsuna wondered   
if she had imagined it. She looked over at Mamoru, debating if she   
should say something to him. The quiet desperation in his eyes as he   
looked at this world's Moon Princess was answer enough. Until she had  
more to go on, Setsuna was not about to add to his misery by raising   
false hopes.  
  
"What is it that I call you in this other world?" Serena asked   
softly. She could feel the Sailor Pluto from the other reality   
staring at her. No, she amended hastily, staring at the man who   
looked so much like her Darien. Her own Prince, Darien, was   
definitely on edge but Serena could sense that these strange visitors  
posed no real threat.   
  
"Mamo-chan," Mamoru replied softly.   
  
"Mamo-chan," Serena repeated. Impulsively she leaned over and on   
tip-toes gave a feather light kiss on the cheek to Mamoru. "Please,   
don't loose hope, Mamo-chan."  
  
Darien slipped an arm around Serena and she glanced up at him as she   
spoke. "I've walk through hell itself to get my Prince back. If your  
Usagi loves you as much as I love Darien, then nothing on Earth can   
stop her from getting back to you."  
  
***************************************  
  
Demando was not a happy man. The White Prince was as annoyed and   
frustrated as Saffir had ever seen him. He'd stomped into the younger  
man's workshop, muttering darkly to himself as he flopped into a near  
by chair. Saffir paused, taking a moment to look at his older brother   
before going back to work on the circuit he held in his hand.   
Experience told him that Demando would talk about was bothering him   
when he was good and ready and not before.  
  
"What does it take?" Demando finally mumbled sullenly. His hand   
snaked out to snatch up a piece of scrap paper. He began to   
methodically rip it into bits as he spoke. "I show her the palace, I  
show her the jewels, I show her some of what I can do with the power   
of the Jakozuishou and is she impressed?"  
  
Saffir bent his head to peer closely at his work. "I gather we're   
talking about Serenity."  
  
"Of course I'm talking about Serenity," Demando snapped. "I show her  
everything that makes us great and she just smiles and nods her head."  
  
Saffir closed one eye as he tinkered with the delicate circuitry.   
"Really, smiling and nodding? How awful. I can see why you're mad at   
her."  
  
"It's not her I'm really angry at. It's him…Endymion," the White   
Prince snarled the name. "Each time she smiles and nods her head ever  
so politely, I can tell that she's thinking of him. I've managed to   
steal her from Endymion and take her to a place he can never find and  
that miserable bastard is still here – still firmly between Serenity   
and me."   
  
With a grunt of total frustration the scraps of paper were thrown   
away, raining down to the floor. "What can he possibly have that I   
don't?! A woman of our Clan would be flattered, no more than   
flattered, to receive the kind of attentions I'm lavishing on   
Serenity."  
  
Saffir put down the piece he was working on. Do you want some   
suggestions or are you here to vent your frustrations? Mind you, my   
track record with the opposite sex isn't very good."   
  
The White Prince folded his arms across his chest in a dour fashion.   
"I'm open to suggestions."  
  
The shadows in a cold corner of the room gathered together and   
coalesced. A pair of banked coal eyes burned in the darkness. "If you  
desire Serenity then take her, Prince Demando." Wiseman's voice was   
harsh and grating to listen to. "She is yours by right of conquest; a  
tool to be broken to your will."  
  
If Wiseman's sudden appearance un-nerved the Prince, he didn't show   
it. "That seems a bit…crude to me. I've never needed to force my   
attentions on any woman before and I don't intend to start now,"   
Demando didn't even bother to turn his head to look at the odd, dark  
man.  
  
The mottled hands never ceased to endlessly circle, yet never touch,  
the crystal ball that was Wiseman's constant companion. "Serenity is  
unlike any woman you have ever known. The power she possesses, when   
added to the might of the Jakozuishou will help you to gain the   
revenge that you were born to mete out. You must make her yours."  
  
"You forget your place, Wiseman," the White Prince snapped, "Do not   
presume to lecture me on my duty. If I want your advice I'll ask for   
it."  
  
The exchange made Saffir's blue eyes narrow. His dislike of the   
shadowy shaman was growing by the day. "You know, Onii-san, if you   
think about it, showing Serenity the wonders of Nemesis really   
shouldn't impress her all that much. She all ready lives in a palace,   
has jewels and a crystal of her own which, despite the spell Endymion   
has her under, is capable of great power, too."  
  
"She was born a Princess," Demando mused aloud. He nodded his head   
as if things finally made sense to him. "No doubt she was surrounded   
by the finer things from her earliest memories. And I'm quite sure   
that the cage Endymion keeps her in is lavishly gilded," the White   
Prince sat back in the chair amethyst eyes narrowing as an idea came   
to him. "But if power and jewels don't catch her attention, then   
perhaps it's time to try a different approach."  
  
Saffir recognized the look on his brother's face. "I take it you have  
an idea?"  
  
A feral smile slowly came to Demando's lips. "Do you know where   
Mother's old sketchbook is these days?"  
***************************************   
  
It was a scene straight out of a nightmare. The images were so sharp   
for a moment, so real that it broke Mercury's heart to witness it. It  
was what could have happened but hadn't. In the space of a heartbeat   
Earth was lost.  
  
~Mamoru held a lifeless Usagi in his arms, rocking back and forth in   
anguish. He was so shattered by his grief that all Mamoru could do   
was moan softly. Usagi's pure heart had been ripped out of her by a   
daimon then stolen by Sailor Uranus in her desperate search for the   
talismans. The shining reflection of Usagi's soul finally crumbled to  
dust in Haruka's hands just as Usagi breathed her last. The Soldier   
of the Sky couldn't know that by letting Usagi die she had just   
doomed humanity to extinction. The Silence was coming and now there  
was no Messiah to stop it.~  
  
"This is absolutely amazing," Ami said to Setsuna softly. "Now   
there's a reality I'm just as pleased never to think about again. If   
you look at the horizon you can see the Silence getting closer,   
destroying everything in its path." She turned from the sight and   
looked into another of the thousands of portals that made up the   
endless walls of The Well.  
  
~Usagi ran across the cobblestone courtyard of the Hikawa Shrine, her  
eyes bright with tears of joy as she ran into the arms of the one who   
had always loved her – Rei. The Soldier of Fire was there to greet   
Usagi, senses set aflame by her Princess's sweaty charms.~  
  
That remark startled Setsuna enough that she turned sharply to look   
at the Soldier of Wisdom. Ami was making a slow, precise turn, taking  
in the array that played out around them. She was, Setsuna was   
further stunned to realize, mentally sorting them out as she went   
along. "You can See into the portals, can't you? You can look beyond   
the surface images."  
  
~Usagi boarded an airplane. The nasty things her so-called "friends"   
had said about her crushed Usagi's heart like a damp Dixie cup. Her   
true guardians and friends, the Outer Senshi, followed her as she   
prepared to head for a new life in Canada.~  
  
"Well yes," Ami took a second to glance at Pluto, mystified by her   
tone. "It's easy if I just let go and allow the images to run through  
my head. Is that so unusual?"  
  
~This was the end. The Senshi were beaten, and badly, by the   
cosmically powered villain. He laughed at their imminent defeat when   
a bolt of power stronger then even than that of the Ginzuishou cut  
through the night. It Mamoru's lost twin sister – Sailor Earth!~  
  
"Actually, that skill is very rare, even among the S'Eyre. If we   
manage to get back to our universe I'd like to have you tested. You   
may be latent Gatekeeper." Pluto concentrated on Mercury rather than   
watch the debacle playing out before her eyes. Some realities were   
better left to die out.   
~This was the end. The Senshi were beaten, and badly, by the   
cosmically power villain. He laughed at their imminent defeat when a   
bolt of power stronger then even that of the Ginzuishou cut through   
the night. It Mamoru's long lost cross dressing brother… Sailor   
Earth!~   
  
"Really? Just because I See inside the portals? I can hear the sounds  
the portals make as well. It's strange but I feel the tones with my  
body instead of my ears. Can that be right?" Ami cringed at the   
eality writhing through the mists around them.   
  
~…Mamoru's lost long cousin, twice removed and her transgender twin  
– Sailor Earth and Sailor Sun!~  
  
"Besides the kind of Sight I just mentioned, all Gate Keepers have   
good musical 'ears'. It comes with the job, but lucky me, I have   
perfect pitch," Setsuna replied. "I can tell when a singer is a   
quarter note sharp or when the second violin in the orchestra is   
slightly flat. That's why I'm not fond of most music. Unless it's   
done perfectly it's like slow torture to listen to."  
  
~…Mamoru's long lost, sister with multiple personality disorder,   
Sailor Earth and Sailor Sun! The villain was going to be trounced   
eventually but seemed content to wait for his end while the girl   
argued with herself over which of her incredibly powerful aspects got   
to act.~  
  
With a shudder, Pluto waited for the images to change once more. "The  
problem is that those tonal signatures are altered inside the Well.   
This, I suspect, is why no one has been able to find their way out of  
this place. You don't know until you're in that other reality if it's  
the right one or not. And since you have to be here in The Well to   
open a portal that crosses into other universes…"  
  
It all came together for Ami. "If the barrier collapses while we're   
in a universe that's not ours, we'll be trapped there. We may be safe  
enough but Usagi will remain ensnared for all time with Demando.   
Without her to break the suspension our Earth will be doomed to the   
spell of crystal sleep forever."  
  
***************************************  
  
Usagi sat in the large chair, her feet tucked up under her while she  
gazed quietly out the window. The curious, muted light that gave   
Nemesis it's "day" casting long shadows on everything it touched. The  
wind was up again, causing curtains of the gritty soil to rise and   
undulate in a chaotic pattern. Usagi sighed heavily, feeling as bleak  
as the world she was trapped on.  
  
For the first few days she'd been able to stay angry at Demando. That  
kind of intense, raw fury was very draining for Usagi and at last the  
anger finally faded away. Usagi tried to keep up hope that Mamoru and  
her friends would find a way to rescue her from this place, but that   
hope was growing fainter as the days wore on. The stark reality of   
her situation was becoming painfully clear.  
  
Setsuna was more correct then she could have guessed. Time did indeed  
flowed differently on Nemesis than it did in the rest of the   
universe. Over twenty years had passed for Demando and his people   
since the rebels had fled Earth for this small, dark world. Time   
enough for the White Prince to grow into a man.   
  
A man bent on a quest for revenge.  
  
When Usagi had left Elysion, Earth was still under the healing spell  
of crystal sleep. Was it really possible, Usagi wondered, for Demando   
to drastically change the way the future would unfold? Was there a   
chance that when she was finally able to leave this inhospitable   
world, that Mamoru and her friends would be gone forever? Would   
Demando and his people be immune to the changes they caused in the   
time-stream or upon leaving the safety of Nemesis fade away into the   
abyss of temporal anomaly?  
  
Usagi put a hand to her head. It throbbed miserably the more she   
thought about the "what-ifs" and the "maybes". The nightmare   
scenarios followed her into her dreams and she found no peace in   
sleep.   
  
Exhausted, Usagi had numbly followed Demando as he showed her his   
castle, no doubt trying to impress her with its wonders. She smiled   
when appropriate, nodded her head every now and then, all the time   
dying inside. It was so hard not to give in to the despair that   
dogged her step even more persistently than Demando. She knew that   
the White Prince could tell that something was wrong with her. His   
concern for her, the gentle way he treated her was the one bright   
spot in Usagi's world.   
  
Demando wasn't the monster others wanted him to be. At least she'd   
been right about that. The White Prince was a man who had been raised   
to believe his destiny was to rule Earth and gain vengeance for the   
shattered dreams of his ancestors. Vengeance, in Usagi's experience,   
took as bloody a toll on the one meting it out as on the one it was   
extracted from.   
  
Usually when she was frightened and unsure what to do, Usagi would   
hear Mamoru's voice, encouraging her to be brave. Perhaps it was   
because she was so completely cut off from him, or perhaps that what  
Usagi needed more than encouragement was a psychological kick in the   
butt. Whatever the reason, it was Rei's voice that popped into her   
head and a very loud and very annoyed voice it was at that.  
  
~Don't just sit there and wait to be rescued. You're Sailor Moon, the  
Champion of Freakin' Justice, for Kami's sake, so act like it! If   
Demando can channel off the power of the Ginzuishou, then try using   
it when he's not around, baka Usagi!~  
  
Cupping her hands in her lap, Usagi carefully reached for the great   
power of the Moon Kingdom that slept inside her. With the kind of   
finesse that would have been impossible even a few years ago, Usagi  
molded the mystic energies. A small ball of silver light came and   
danced at her summons.   
  
"Moon healing escalation," she whispered softly to small star between  
her cupped hands.  
  
A pulse of the eldritch fire ran through her. Usagi let her eyes   
close and her head tilt back. For the first time since she'd awakened  
on Nemesis, Usagi felt strong and sure of herself. She allowed the   
healing balm of the Ginzuishou to wash over her and smiled with   
delight at the sweet, gentle song the power sang to her.  
  
"You shine like a star in the darkness, Serenity," Demando walked   
into the room. "But you play a dangerous game. The Black Poison   
Crystal can absorb any energy, even the light from your Ginzuishou."  
  
There was no drain, Usagi noticed despite his words, no sense of   
the ravenous darkness that had been unleashed when Demando had used   
the power of the Black Poison Crystal against her.   
  
"So why isn't it doing that right now?" she asked daringly.  
  
His laughter surprised her. "The power is my servant and acts   
according to my commands, Angel." Even as he spoke, Demando could   
sense the dark power stirring, beginning to notice the bright,   
shining light of the Ginzuishou. "As long as you don't threaten to  
wreck my palace you can play with your crystal all you'd like."  
  
The White Prince sat on the arm of the large chair Usagi was in, a   
rakish grin on his face. He leaned slightly forward, enjoying the   
game he was playing with her immensely. "Actually, I'd think I'd   
like watching you play with your crystal."  
  
"You would, wouldn't you?" Usagi's cheeks flushed red at the ribald   
inference in Demando's statement. With a flip of her hands she let   
the silver crystal fade away to sleep safely inside her.  
  
"Is there a reason for this visit or did you just come here to annoy  
me?" Usagi asked. She silently prayed that the White Prince wouldn't  
drag her on yet another tour of his dark palace.   
  
"Actually, I have something I want you to see." Demando opened the   
rough edged book he carried. A single piece of yellowed paper was   
removed carefully and handed to Usagi. "I've been trying to show you   
who I am, Serenity but I think I've been going about it the wrong   
way. I want you to get to know me, not the ruling Prince of Nemesis,   
not the True Prince of Earth, but me; Demando."  
  
Cautiously Usagi took the sheet and when she looked at it, blinked in  
surprise. There were two children in the sketch, a little boy of   
about five with silver hair that fell into his eyes. In his lap was a  
chubby, dark haired toddler who was smiling broadly.  
  
Crystal blue eyes glanced up at Demando then back down at the   
drawing. "This is you, isn't it; you and Saffir?"  
  
"I was five, Saffir just over two when this was done." He reached   
again into the portfolio, this time producing a drawing of a boy on   
the edge of puberty. "And this," he pointed to the picture of the   
gangly, young prince who was all arms and legs, "was done on my   
twelfth birthday. I was trying my best to look regal and princely. As  
you can see I still had to work on that some more."   
  
"These are wonderful," Usagi said softly as the White Prince handed   
her another page. The artist had managed to capture the look of   
childish glee on Demando's face as he chased his younger brother in a  
game long forgotten. "Who drew these?"  
  
That prompted the White Prince to reach into the book and with great   
care pull out a large piece of parchment. "My mother," he said   
handing it to Usagi. "Her name was Amethyst and she was the most   
extraordinary woman you'd ever want to meet. I owe much of what I am   
to her. She died a few weeks after my thirteenth birthday," he   
paused, the pain of loss still lingered after all these years. "I miss  
her a great deal."  
  
"She was beautiful," Usagi said, still looking at the drawing. The   
woman in the half completed portrait had luminous, silver hair that   
was loose around her shoulder. Her delicate features were accented by  
the large, almond shaped purple eyes that held a light of   
intelligence in them. The way Amethyst tipped her chin up reminded   
Usagi immediately of Demando. "You look a great deal like her."  
  
"I was lucky enough to favor my mother but poor Saffir ended up   
looking like his father," Demando said, reaching for another picture.  
"The Regent was a difficult man to please. I was just as happy not to  
be his son. He could be very demanding."   
  
Usagi took the sketch. She hadn't missed the significance of what had  
just been said and peered closely at the unfinished picture. The   
facial features of the Regent were in pencil and still rough but   
there was something about the eyes that drew her attention. "Don't   
you and Saffir have the same father?"  
  
"Gods no," the White Prince laughed lightly. "Why do think I'm called  
by the title Prince and Saffir isn't?"   
  
Usagi's hands shook slightly and she found herself staring at the   
indistinct face on the paper. Her mind began to turn in furious   
circles and she actually went pale. "Then who…who…?"   
  
Demando seemed puzzled by her reaction. "You really don't know do   
you? No, of course you don't. Endymion could hardly admit that he   
wasn't the one True Prince and still claim to be King of Earth."  
  
"Demando, please," Usagi laid a hand on his arm, looking up at him.  
  
Her eyes were so beautiful, Demando thought, so deep and endlessly   
blue as the skies of Earth were said to be. He found himself unable   
to refuse her.   
  
"The Elders wouldn't discuss him with me, other than to say that he'd  
done his duty and no more. Mother didn't like to talk about him   
either but on my thirteenth birthday she finally told me the truth.   
Until Endymion showed up he was considered by many to be the True   
Prince and was the best hope of his generation. His name was Goruden  
Kobushi but my people called him the Black Prince."   
  
"Goruden Kobushi? Goruden Kobushi was considered the rightful True   
Prince?" the name tripped off of Usagi's lips and she stammered   
slightly. He was supposed to be in love with Minako. What could   
possibly have happened that he would turn against her so totally as   
to take up with the rebels?  
  
The anguish and confusion on her face bothered the White Prince.   
Demando gently took her hand and smiled. "It's all right, Angel. I   
know that you're as much a victim of Endymion's madness as any of our  
Clan. You have nothing to fear from me or my people."  
  
Taking the hand, he raised it to his lips and placed a delicate kiss  
on it. "When I'm at last King of Earth, I'll take very good care of   
you."  
  
***************************************  
  
Setsuna drifted in a gray world of shifting shadows. A part of her   
knew that she was in a state halfway between sleep and wakefulness.   
There was pain at the edges of her consciousness; pain that wanted to  
pull her fully awake. Even more insistent than the pain was a murmur  
on the faint breeze in this world of dreams, one that called to her.  
  
Kayashan  
  
It was the name of her soul. In that one word was everything Setsuna  
was and everything she'd ever hoped to be. It was the sum total of   
her life with every pretense stripped away. Only one other living   
being knew that secret, sacred name; the one who shared it with her.  
  
Following the thin murmur Setsuna saw that there was a shape trying   
to form in the misty realm she now occupied. It was Lorilei, she   
realized. She'd felt the faint pull along the lines of the bond she   
shared with her twin several times but it had always faded away so   
quickly that Setsuna had wondered if she had imagined it.  
  
Lorilei's mouth was moving but no sound came from it. Even though her  
body flickered in and out of focus, the frustration was easy to read   
on her face. At last she held out her hand, palm up in a gesture that  
she knew Setsuna would understand.  
  
"We are two but we are one," Pluto said evenly. Her hand was raised   
to meet her twin's. She laced her fingers through Lorilei's and   
pulled them closed. She felt Lorilei's hand grow solid for a moment.  
  
We are Kayashan, Lorilei's voice filled Setsuna like the sun in the  
sky at dawn, full of promise and beautiful beyond comparison.  
  
In the moment when their souls touched a burst of images filled   
Setsuna's mind. She saw Helios on his knees in prayer. One hand   
reached down to touch the soil of Elysion and a golden aura shone   
brightly around him. He looked up and held out the other hand in a   
silent yet desperate invitation.  
  
Lorilei abruptly faded away and Setsuna felt herself falling. She   
woke with a start, the pain convincing her that she was back in her   
body. The room was only dimly lit, Pluto noted as she slowly shook   
her head to clear the last of the cobwebs from her mind. She raised a  
hand to her head to find that her wrists were manacled and chained to  
the wall.  
  
"Pluto? Are you awake?" said a rough voice from a darkened corner.   
  
"I…I think so." Setsuna blinked hard, trying to force her eyes to   
hurry adjusting to the gloom. Sailor Jupiter sat with a still   
unconscious Ami's head on her lap. A quick glance found Venus and   
Mars huddled together in another corner, still and unmoving.  
  
The chains rattled as Makoto shifted slightly. She looked at Pluto,  
an odd half smile on her face. "As you see we've run into a small   
problem in this reality."  
  
"How 'small' a problem?" Setsuna wasn't sure she really wanted to   
know right now.  
  
From out of the fourth dank corner came a voice that made Setsuna's   
head snap around at the sound of it. A figure stirred in the   
darkness, leaning forward into the paltry light to be better seen.   
Her long, green hair matted in places with dirt and blood, her face  
bruised Sailor Pluto never the less gave a sharp bark of cynical   
laughter.  
  
"Nothing too dire," this world's Pluto told her counterpart. "It's   
just that on this Earth, the Dark Kingdom rules supreme."  
***************************************  
  
The piercing cold of the floor he lay on was what finally forced   
Mamoru awake. The biting chill seemed to eat into his bones, made his  
body stiff and unresponsive. For once he was glad of the heavy cape   
he wore as Tuxedo Kamen and pulled it closed with clumsy fingers in   
an attempt to warm himself. Even as Mamoru dragged himself into a   
sitting position a sound came out of the shadows around him. There   
was the steady click, click, click of heels on the highly polished   
marble floor.  
  
"Who's there?" Mamoru managed to stumble to his feet.   
  
"Who's there?" came the mocking echo. Laughter began, bitter and with  
an edge of insanity to it. "Who's there? Better you should ask where   
you are, fool."  
  
A figure became slowly visible. The shadows lingered on the form,   
slowly, hesitantly falling away as the man began to walk with a   
unhurried step towards Mamoru. He stopped for an instant at the place  
where the dim light in the chamber was at its brightest. With a final  
step, he became visible and Tuxedo Kamen couldn't stop the gasp that   
escaped from his lips.  
  
The ebony armor seemed to swallow the light, the cape attached at the  
shoulders little more than a mass of night that moved and slithered   
as if alive. Eyes gleamed golden in the semi darkness as Endymion,   
King of Earth looked at his counterpart. A predatory smile split the  
handsome face, fangs evident.  
  
"Welcome to hell, Chiba Mamoru."  
  
**************************************  
  
Authors Notes:  
  
First and foremost I want to apologize for taking so long to get this   
chapter out. To say that my life in these last few months has been   
crazy is like saying that is like saying that Prince Demando has only  
a passing interest in Neo-Queen Serenity. At any rate, I promise that  
it won't take me another four months to post chapter eight. If, that   
is, anyone is still even remotely interested in reading this story at   
this point…   
  
Many thanks go out to my beta-readers, Masked Maiden and Donnar-I   
(note to the Exalted Editor - I want to see the lap dance scene!) for  
taking time out of their incredibly busy lives to help me. There's   
something to said for public humiliation, but I get enough of that on  
a regular basis as it is. If you'd like to take a whack at   
castigating me, feel free to write to me at MearaD@aol.com.   
  
I also want to thank Lord Chaos for his kind permission to abuse him  
mightily in this chapter. If you haven't read his "When Magical Girls  
Go Wrong" series, then I suggest you do. It's just like the man who   
wrote it – delightfully twisted and wickedly funny. One of the   
alternate realities that makes a cameo appearance is taken from   
LeVar Bouyer "Moon Revenge". It's an excellent story and I highly   
recommend it.   
  
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the attendant  
characters to which valid copyright laws apply. The S'Eyre (although   
they only get a passing mention), their Imperium and the way I have   
Gates work are my intellectual property. Please ask permission if   
you'd like to use them. 


End file.
